Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) vowed on Thursday that he would stay connected to his supporters should he be elected president, which would help his administration make sure to hold Wall Street accountable. “We are gonna create millions of jobs, we are gonna raise the minimum wage. Wall Street will pay a tax on speculation, whether they like it or not, because millions of people will be involved in the presidential process,” he told MSNBC host Chris Hayes.

While Hayes remarked on the “gravity” that draws candidates and reporters toward “horse-race politics,” Sanders emphasized his connection to his supporters, saying that “not even the best president in the world” would be able to stand up to the influence of well-moneyed interests in politics in without it.

“I happen to have a lot of respect and affection for Barack Obama,” the senator said. “Biggest political mistake that he made is after his brilliant campaign in 2008, he basically said to the millions of people who supported him, ‘Thanks for getting me elected, I will take it from here.’ I will not make that mistake.”

Sanders, who is campaigning to win the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, has pulled into a tie with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Sanders told Hayes that his surge is an illustration of how well his policy positions are resonating. “Do they resonate with the American people, or do they resonate with a very small sub-section of Democratic primary voters who are liberals and they love Bernie Sanders and they’re watching us right now? Or do they resonate more broadly?” Hayes asked. “Chris, don’t become an inside-the-Beltway pundit,” Sanders responded.