Story highlights Bernie Sanders says he isn't exiting the Democratic race yet, seeking a more progressive party platform

Sanders says he is focused on trade, climate change and the minimum wage in the platform battle

Washington (CNN) Bernie Sanders defended Wednesday his decision to continue his Democratic presidential campaign without endorsing Hillary Clinton, even as he acknowledged that Clinton is now the party's "presumptive candidate, absolutely."

"The nomination is not the only aspect of what politics is about. What politics is about is trying to do well by the middle class and by working families. That is what I am struggling to do," Sanders told CNN's Wolf Blitzer in an interview.

The Vermont senator has lost the race as Clinton claimed enough delegates to become the presumptive Democratic nominee -- but he hasn't dropped out, keeping his Secret Service protection and pledging to continue on until the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia later this month.

He pointed to a Democratic platform meeting in Orlando on Friday and Saturday as one of his major areas of focus, saying he wants stronger language opposing the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-country trade deal negotiated by President Barack Obama's administration, included.

"The TPP should not get to the floor of the U.S. House or the U.S. Senate," he said, adding, "It's not a demand, it's something that we are fighting for."

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