Sanders: Obama Has 'Tried To Be Fair' In Primary Race

By Amita Kelly

Published January 27, 2016 at 2:01 PM CST

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, joined by his wife, Jane Sanders, speaks to the media outside the White House following his meeting with President Obama on Wednesday.

President Obama and Vice President Biden "have tried to be fair and even-handed" in the primary process, Sen. Bernie Sanders said Wednesday following a meeting with the president at the White House.

Calling the meeting "constructive and productive," Sanders cautiously praised the Obama administration's economic work, saying there is still work to be done. The two also talked talked about foreign and domestic policy and "a little bit of politics," according to Sanders, who spoke to reporters after the meeting.

The meeting came after Obama made comments that were seen as favoring Sanders' Democratic primary opponent, Hillary Clinton.

"[The] one thing everybody understands is that this job right here, you don't have the luxury of just focusing on one thing," Obama told Politico earlier this week, a dig at Sanders' 40-year message on income inequality.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the meeting was first discussed last December at the congressional holiday ball.

Sanders added that he was grateful that Obama campaigned for him years ago and vice versa, but that didn't mean they didn't also have their differences.

Sanders also discussed Monday's Iowa caucuses, saying his campaign is "feeling really good about where we are," but that in the end "what the Iowa campaign ends up being about is one word, and that is turnout."

"I'm not saying we can do what Barack Obama did in 2008 — I wish we could — but I don't think we can. If there is a large turnout, I think we win. If not, I think we'll be struggling."