Today, our country once again faces a pivotal moment in American history. The crises facing us are enormous. The consequences if we fail are unthinkable.

It’s not a pretty picture. People feel hopeless. They are exhausted. They are worried about the kind of future that awaits their kids and grandkids.

So, in this pivotal moment, how do we respond?

First, we cannot simply turn away from the painful and complex realities that we face and bury our heads in the sand. The world is what it is. It is a mess. And the situation is not going to improve unless we do the hard work required.

Second, we must be actively involved in the 2024 national elections -- the most consequential in our lifetimes.

Yes. I know. President Biden is not popular and many progressives, including me, strongly disagree with his policies regarding Israel and this disastrous war in Gaza.

But, let’s be clear. Biden is not running against God. He is running against Donald Trump, the most dangerous president in American history whose second term, if he is re-elected, will be worse than his first. And, on his worst day, Biden is a thousand times better than Trump.

Are you concerned about the extreme income and wealth inequality we are experiencing, and the decline of the middle class? Trump wants to give huge tax breaks to billionaires and, as president, appointed viciously anti-union officials to high office. Biden, on the other hand, is the first president to ever walk a picket line – in support of striking UAW workers. He has helped create millions of decent paying jobs rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure and investing in manufacturing. Biden has also forgiven the debts of millions of struggling young people.

Are you concerned about the right of women to control their own bodies? Trump brags about how he appointed three Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v Wade. Biden is solidly pro-choice.

Are you concerned about the climate crisis? Donald Trump thinks climate change is a “hoax.” A Trump victory will tell the entire world to continue their support for fossil fuels, and the planet we leave our kids and future generations will be increasingly unhealthy. Biden, on the other hand, has helped invest more money into sustainable energy and energy efficiency than any president in history.

And if you have problems with Biden’s position on Israel and the war in Gaza, Trump’s position is far worse. Biden has at least restricted some powerful bombs from going to Israel and has been critical of Netanyahu. Trump and his Republican colleagues are “all in” for the massive destruction of the Palestinian people.

Oh. And there’s one other thing. And that’s the small matter of retaining our democracy. Biden is a traditional American politician who believes in democracy, free elections and the right of dissent. That’s not what Trump believes. He and his supporters have spent the last four years undermining faith in the rule of law and our democratic form of government. He is weighing pardons for more than 800 of his supporters who attacked the Capitol in the January 6 insurrection. And his advisers are drawing up plans to invoke the Insurrection Act to allow him to deploy the military against civil demonstrations.

Clearly, our job is not just to re-elect Biden. It’s much more than that. We must defend the many progressives that we have elected to the House, and we must elect more strong progressive candidates who are on the ballot to the House, and state and local governments.

We must work in coalition with all those who understand that we must do everything possible to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme rightwing Republican party, not just because he is “worse,” but because nothing less than the future of our democracy is at stake in this election.

Bottom line: we must have the guts to take on and defeat a powerful and greedy ruling class and create a government which works for all, not just the few. The path forward is not easy. But now is not the time for despair or cynicism.

During this pivotal moment, we must do what Americans have always done when change is needed: we must stand together, organize and fight for the country we know we can become.

By Sen. Bernie Sanders

Editor’s note: The above commentary is an excerpt from an op-ed written by Sen. Bernie Sanders and published by the Guardian on May 15, 2024. A link to the full  op-ed is available here.