Bernie Sanders denies he and AOC are trying to start third party, says Democrats 'lack a vision of the future'

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said Democrats "lack a vision for the future" and, alongside Republicans, are "failing the working class," but denied he was trying to start a third party on Sunday.

Sanders - who recently told the New York Times one of the goals of his tour of rallies across the country with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., was to encourage progressive candidates to run as independents and not as Democrats - denied that he was attempting to start a third party when asked by NBC's "Meet the Press" host Kristen Welker. 

"We're not trying to start a third party. What we are trying to do is strengthen American Democracy where faith in both the Democratic and Republican Parties is extremely low," Sanders said.

"You want to run as a Democrat? Great. You want to run as an independent? That's great, but you've got to get involved in the political process," he added. 

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., recently called on the liberal lawmakers to stop using the term "oligarchy," saying the term primarily resonates with coastal elites. 

Sanders sharply rebuked the senator when asked if he should ditch the word, telling Welker, "I think the American people are not quite as dumb as Miss Slotkin thinks they are."