MANCHESTER, New Hampshire — Bernie Sanders is not happy with the Bernie Bro phenomenon, he said Sunday.

"It''s disgusting, we don't want that crap," Sanders said during an appearance on CNN's State Of The Union recorded three days before Tuesday's first-in-the-nation primary here.

"Bernie Bros" is the shorthand for Sanders supporters who swarm Democrats who support Hillary Clinton, particularly women, online. Clinton supporters have complained about them for months, and a top Sanders campaign official recently apologized to his counterpart on the Clinton campaign for the behavior of some Sanders backers online. The Sanders campaign has admonished its legion of online supporters to police itself.

Meanwhile, some prominent Sanders-supporting pundits claim the Bernie Bro is a myth, ginned up by Clinton supporters to cast her campaign as the victim of sexist attacks.

Publicly and privately, Sanders campaign supporters say they recognize the Bernie Bro as a real thing. Sanders said Sunday there's no place for the Bros in his campaign.

"Anybody who is supporting me and doing sexist things, we don't want them. I don't want them," he said. "That's not what this campaign is about."