Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersNYT editorial board remembers Ginsburg: She 'will forever have two legacies' Two GOP governors urge Republicans to hold off on Supreme Court nominee Sanders knocks McConnell: He's going against Ginsburg's 'dying wishes' MORE pushed back on Tuesday against the commonly held belief that Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonJeff Flake: Republicans 'should hold the same position' on SCOTUS vacancy as 2016 Momentum growing among Republicans for Supreme Court vote before Election Day Warning signs flash for Lindsey Graham in South Carolina MORE will win the Democratic presidential nomination, saying such conclusions would be more at home in a monarchy.

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“We don’t live, thank God, in an authoritarian country. People dissent,” he said during an interview with NBC’s “Today" show. “If we take your assumption and Clinton’s supporters’ assumption of the logical conclusion, you know what we should do? We should go back to a monarchy and not have any elections at all.”

Sanders rejected the idea that his candidacy hurts Clinton's poll numbers delaying party unity. He also tried to temper his recent comment that the Democratic National Convention could get “messy,” which raised eyebrows after a contentious party convention in Nevada erupted into heated protests earlier this month.

“The media takes words out of context. The context of that was 'democracy is messy,' that people will have a vigorous debate on the issues," he said.

But when asked specifically whether he believed the party's national convention in July would get messy, Sanders said, “Of course it will be — that’s what democracy is about."

He brushed aside questions about whether he would campaign for Clinton in the fall, cutting off NBC’s Kristen Welker when she tried to ask. But he also repeated his assertion that presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump Donald John TrumpUS reimposes UN sanctions on Iran amid increasing tensions Jeff Flake: Republicans 'should hold the same position' on SCOTUS vacancy as 2016 Trump supporters chant 'Fill that seat' at North Carolina rally MORE “would be a disaster if he was elected president.”