"You gotta give him credit, he doesn't give up. We could have used a guy like that four years ago that didn't give up. Wouldn't that have been great?" Trump said during a rally in Dallas.

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Sanders delivered an address to supporters Thursday night calling for Democrats to unite to defeat Trump and said he intends to personally move toward his "role in that process in a very short period of time."

Sanders met with Clinton for a private meeting Wednesday night in Washington as Democrats mull how to rally around their nominee to take on Trump heading into November.

"I'm hearing we're going to pick up a lot of Bernie supporters," Trump remarked at his rally, turning his focus to slamming trade deals that the independent Vermont senator has similarly criticized. "I'm going to make the greatest trade deals you've ever seen," Trump said. "Bernie can't do that," Trump continued, "but he understands the basics."

Trump said he is "so looking forward to the debate" with Clinton, whom he refers to as "crooked Hillary."

Trump also went after President Obama and Clinton over gun control in the wake of the Orlando shooting that left 49 people dead and dozens more injured.

"I'm going to save your Second Amendment, folks," Trump said.

"You saw what one sleazebags can do, the horror that he wreaked on us as a nation," he added.

Trump said the U.S. "gave up" on issues such as trade and illegal immigration, adding, "it's almost like they gave up on ISIS," referring to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The businessman doubled down earlier this week after suggesting that Obama was sympathizing with terrorists following the shooting in Orlando. Obama ripped Trump in a speech on Tuesday.