Hillary Clinton thinks the Democratic Party would unify around her to stop Donald Trump. Clinton: 'No way' I won't be Democratic nominee

Hillary Clinton on Thursday said there is "no way" that she will not be the Democratic presidential nominee in 2016, and that Bernie Sanders would do well to unify behind her as the party's standard-bearer against Donald Trump

"I will be the nominee for my party, Chris," the former secretary of state told CNN's Chris Cuomo in an interview from Park Ridge, Illinois. "That is already done, in effect. There's no way that I won't be."


As for Bernie Sanders, Clinton said "he has to do his part to unify."

"He said the other day that he'll do everything possible to defeat Donald Trump. He said he'd work seven days a week. I take him at his word," Clinton said. "I think the threat that Donald Trump poses is so dramatic to our country, to our democracy and our economy that I certainly expect Sen. Sanders to do what he said he would."

Clinton dodged a question from Cuomo on whether she would choose Sanders as her running mate.

"What brings us together is Donald Trump. I think that's what brings us together," she said, after remarking that would be a discussion for later.

Sanders’ campaign argued that the primary isn’t over yet, citing his string of wins in Indiana, West Virginia and Oregon as evidence that voters disagree with Clinton’s proclamation.

“We expect voters in the remaining eight contests also will disagree,” Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs said in a statement. “And with almost every national and state poll showing Sen. Sanders doing much, much better than Secretary Clinton against Donald Trump, it is clear that millions of Americans have growing doubts about the Clinton campaign.”

Assessing her chances against Trump, Clinton said the party would unify.

"That doesn't mean we won't have some vigorous discussion and debate about issues, about the platform, about all of the process of a convention. I welcome that. I think that's healthy. I think bringing people into the party giving them a voice at the end is going to help us in the fall. I think as I said I will certainly do my part and more to reach out and bring in Sen. Sanders' supporters and I have every reason to expect he'll do the same," she said.

"I think we'll have a great convention in Philadelphia and then we'll go out and carry on the campaign against Donald Trump," Clinton continued. "And the Republicans. And I really believe that we're going to have a strong, compelling case to make about the choice that the American people will be facing. And I feel, you know, very optimistic about how the election will come out and I also feel optimistic about the country."