"You go issue by issue and I think you expose him for the fraud that he is," Bernie Sanders says about Donald Trump. | AP Photo Sanders: Clinton needs to 'get away from all of this personality stuff' with Trump

Bernie Sanders offered some pointed advice to Hillary Clinton on Friday in the upcoming presidential debates and beyond, as the Democratic nominee looks to shore up support amid sagging poll numbers, particularly among younger voters.

Heading into the first debate in 10 days, Sanders told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that nobody would question her intelligence or knowledge of the issues.


"I think what she has got to do is contrast, get away from all of this personality stuff, which media focuses on every single day. And start talking about the real issues. The American people do not agree with Trump," Sanders said, suggesting a few questions, including, "Mr. Trump, do you really think that billionaires need a massive tax break? Mr. Trump, do you really think that when the entire scientific community tells us that climate change is real and a threat to the entire planet, that you think it's a hoax? What's your scientific basis for that? Mr. Trump, tell me what you're going to do? You want to abolish the Affordable Care Act for 20 million in this country off health care. How many are going to die, how many are going to become much sicker? What's your view on taking on the drug companies? You go issue by issue and I think you expose him for the fraud that he is."

Sanders told co-host Joe Scarborough that he "honestly [doesn't] know the answer" as to why Clinton has struggled where he succeeded in connecting with millennials.

"This is what I know. In politics too much we look at personality. We like you, we don't like you. I think we've got to back away from that and say, we're not looking at Trump or Clinton. We're looking at the needs of the American people," Sanders said, going on to contrast Clinton's proposals with those of Trump. "So I would just simply say to the millennials, to anybody else: look at the issues. Don't get hung up on Trump's kids and whatever, the story of the birther issue. Stay focused on the issue of relevance to your life. I think Clinton is far and away the superior candidate."

As far as whether Sanders still senses anger and hatred of Clinton among his supporters, the Vermont senator acknowledged that there are still "some people" who feel that way, "but not among the vast majority."

"I'll tell you, there is an issue that is bringing the people who voted for me, I think, together. That is this issue of bigotry. You can disagree with Clinton on this or Trump on that, but we have come so far in this country in struggling against discrimination and racism and sexism. That we do not want to go back to a time when you have Trump, the big debate, I guess of today, what's the debate, the birther issue again we're bringing that up, is insane," Sanders said, going on to say that the country has spent "hundreds of years fighting against racism and sexism and all that stuff, to have that debate again, young people do not want to see that…. They're way beyond that. They don't want to think we're blaming Muslims, we're blaming Mexicans for our problems, and I think that will bring a lot of those people around in support of Clinton."