NORTH CHARLESTON, South Carolina — Hours after facing a combative set of Democratic primary opponents, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont Wednesday directed his fire at the man he believes is his ultimate electoral opponent: President Donald Trump.

Trump is a "the most dangerous president in the modern history of this country," Sanders told a boisterous and adoring crowd at the North Charleston Coliseum and Performing Arts Center. He's a "pathological liar," a "racist," a "sexist" a "homophobe and a xenophobe," Sanders continued. "And those are his good qualities."

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Amid fretting by Democratic officials that the self-described Democratic Socialist cannot draw enough moderates and independents to fulfill Democrats' central goal – to oust Trump – Sanders declared he was the only one who could energize new voters, including young people and progressives.

"Some of you have heard the establishment is getting very nervous about our movement," Sanders said to cheers. He said polls showed he could beat Trump in head-to-head contests.

Sanders did criticize the man leading in South Carolina polls, former Vice President Joe Biden , saying his "good friend" did not have the record to mobilize a wide swath of voters.

Pointing to Biden's votes for trade deals and the Iraq war, Sanders said, "Joe is a friend of mine (but) that is not the record or the history that is going to excite people, bring them into the political process and beat Trump."

The crowd included many people who are critical to Sanders' base of support: young voters, who entrance and exit polls show voted heavily for Sanders in early nominating contests.

Alex Seabrook, a 23-year-old student, likes Sanders' approach to foreign policy. "If you're going to have a revolution that helps a lot of people, it needs to help all people, not just people in the U.S.," Seabrook says. Sanders, he says, will end U.S. "imperialism" abroad.

Health care is also a big issue for Seabrook, who says he has no health insurance because South Carolina refused to expand Medicaid under Obamacare, and plans available to him have unaffordable deductibles of $1,000 - $2,000. "I need a candidate who's going to do a public option or Medicare for All. "

Meredith Devine, 17, will be voting for the first time this year. Since she will be 18 by Election Day, she is eligible to vote in Saturday's South Carolina primary – and she's gravitating towards Sanders, largely because of climate change .

"I live really close to the ocean. For the past four years, we've had mandatory evacuations" because of hurricanes, Devine says. The Vermont senator, she says, will address that environmental crisis.

Ohio State Sen. Nina Turner, Sanders' campaign co-chair, lambasted those who demand to know how Sanders will pay for his ambitious domestic agenda, such as free public college and Medicare for All.