Bernie Sanders holds NY rally to launch 2nd White House run

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., arrives onstage as he kicks off his 2020 presidential campaign on Saturday, in Brooklyn. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

Sen. Bernie Sanders returned to his hometown of Brooklyn on Saturday to officially launch his second presidential campaign.

After losing the Democratic nomination to Hillary Clinton in 2016, Sanders predicted a White House victory the second time around, and told an energetic crowd that he would succeed Donald Trump, whom he referred to as "the most dangerous president in modern American history."

The field of Democratic presidential candidates has now reached double digits, and Sanders will compete alongside fellow Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kirstin Gillibrand of New York, Kamala Harris of California and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, among others.

In his last presidential campaign, Sanders struggled to secure Southern victories, which can hinge on winning over black voters. This year, his campaign will reportedly aim to address that by diversifying staff and highlighting his lifelong commitment to social justice and activism.

Faiz Shakur, Sanders' campaign manager, who last week became the first Muslim hired to lead a major U.S. presidential effort, said that they plan to run with a different strategy for the 2020 election.

"What is different of course this time is we're built to win and planning to win from the very beginning," he said.

The self-described Democratic socialist plans to host another major rally in Chicago in the coming days, where he was arrested in 1963 for protesting school segregation during his time at the University of Chicago.

On Saturday, Sanders told a cheering audience that the injustices that have come to be associated with the Trump administration will not be tolerated or perpetuated by his campaign.

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Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks as he kicks off his second presidential campaign. Sanders pledged to fight for "economic justice, social justice, racial justice and environmental justice." (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

"I want to welcome you to a campaign which says, loudly and clearly, that the underlying principles of our government will not be greed, hatred and lies," Sanders said.  "It will not be racism, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia and religious bigotry."

The longtime Vermont senator continued by highlighting the platforms of his campaign, which will be providing "Medicare for all," raising the minimum wage to $15, and addressing and combating climate change.

"Today, we say to Donald Trump and the fossil fuel industry that climate change is not a hoax but is an existential threat to our country and the entire planet," he said to cheers.

"We intend to transform our energy system away from fossil fuel and into energy efficiency and sustainable energy, and when we do that we are going to create millions of good-paying jobs. All of us and every person in this country have a moral responsibility to make certain that the planet we leave to our children and grandchildren is healthy and habitable," he continued.

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After his kick-off rally in Brooklyn, where he grew up the son of a Jewish immigrant in rent-controlled housing, he will head South to Selma, Alabama, to commemorate the anniversary of the 1965 clash known as "Bloody Sunday," in which civil rights protesters, including Hosea Williams and current Georgia lawmaker John Lewis, were beaten and gassed by police while trying to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge. He will then travel to Chicago for his second rally.

Sanders' campaign has already demonstrated smoe financial strength since his first announcement on Twitter, raising $10 million in the first week from an estimated 359,914 donors.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.