Las Vegas (CNN) Sen. Bernie Sanders has no doubt that should he win the Democratic nomination he will have a very powerful figure by his side: former President Barack Obama.

Obama has chosen to sit out his party's 2020 presidential primary fight but has promised to support whomever the nominee is. Sanders, in an interview Thursday with CNN, said he looks forward to the former president's support.

"If I win, I'm sure he'll be there at my side. If somebody else wins, he'll be there at their side," the Vermont independent said. "But I expect and know that he will play an enormously important role in helping us to defeat Trump."

Sanders and Obama have, on occasion, not seen eye to eye on specific policy issues. Sanders was opposed to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade plan , a signature issue for the Obama administration. However, despite not shying away from clashing with Obama from time to time, Sanders could be counted on as a reliable vote for some of Obama's most important policy initiatives, including the passage of the Affordable Care Act

Sanders now describes a warm relationship with the former president and said the two are in fairly regular contact.

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