Sen. Bernard Sanders is defending his prediction of a potentially “messy” Democratic convention in July, saying that “democracy is messy.”

“The media often takes words out of context — the context of that was that democracy is messy, that people will have vigorous debate on the issues,” Mr. Sanders said in an interview for NBC’s “Today” program.

Asked if the convention will be messy, Mr. Sanders said: “Of course it will be. … That’s what democracy is about.”

Mr. Sanders also said his focus right now is to win the party’s presidential nomination, and said Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton is “really insulting” California residents by declining an opportunity to debate Mr. Sanders ahead of the primary there next month.

In an interview with The Associated Press published this week, Mr. Sanders was quoted as saying: “I think if they make the right choice and open the doors to working-class people and young people and create the kind of dynamism that the Democratic party needs, it’s going to be messy.”

The comments came on the heels of a chaotic Democratic convention in Nevada, with top Democrats such as Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who chairs the Democratic National Committee, saying Mr. Sanders didn’t do enough to condemn the actions of his supporters at the proceedings.

Mr. Sanders was quoted by the AP as saying he was “bothered” by the portrayal of the convention and that it did not actually turn violent.

“There was rowdyism. There was booing, I think inappropriately by the way,” he said, AP reported.

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