In a surprising turn of events, Minnesota Representative Dean Phillips, who recently concluded his ambitious Democratic primary challenge against President Joe Biden, dismissed claims on Thursday that his campaign had politically undermined Biden. “On the contrary, Biden’s impressive performance in the Democratic primaries has only strengthened his position,” Phillips told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “The Lead”.
Throughout his campaign, Phillips had raised questions about Biden’s potential to secure a victory in November and fulfill a second term. However, on Wednesday, he withdrew from the presidential race and extended his support to Biden, who has been leading in almost all Democratic nominating contests this year.
Phillips expressed his commitment to persuade a significant portion of Americans, who share his reservations about Biden, to back his reelection. He warned of the potential threat posed by the presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump. “A staggering 86% of the country believes Biden is too old, but there’s a more pressing issue at hand,” he said, emphasizing the importance of supporting Biden, a man of principle, experience, and wisdom, over the alternative.
An ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted last month revealed that 86% of Americans think Biden is too old to serve another term as president. Despite this, Phillips denied ever questioning Biden’s mental sharpness or cognition, although he acknowledged that the president is “very compromised” electorally, as indicated by general election polls showing Biden trailing Trump.
Phillips, however, was quick to clarify that Biden is not in cognitive decline. “Yes, he’s an 81-year-old man. Like any of us, he’s going to slow down,” Phillips said, adding that Biden is still capable of making sound decisions, which is what truly matters.
Following Phillips’ withdrawal from the presidential race, Biden expressed his gratitude on social media for Phillips’ “kind words” and welcomed him to the team, stating, “We need you with us.”
As Biden prepares for his State of the Union address on Thursday, Phillips expressed his hope to see “vigor” from the president, as well as policy proposals to address the “cost issues” and “chaos issues” concerning Americans.
Phillips, an heir to a Minnesota distilling business and former chairman of Talenti Gelato, announced last fall that he would not seek a fourth term this year to his Minneapolis-area seat. Despite some criticism from his Democratic colleagues on Capitol Hill, Phillips remains optimistic about the future. “At the end of the day, we are on the same team, and every single American watching this right now … can see the stark choice we have ahead of us,” he said.
Phillips’ brief campaign was marked by challenges as he accused Democrats of working to suppress his candidacy. Despite shifting left on several policy issues and criticizing Biden over his age, he failed to secure a win in any Democratic nominating contest. Even in his home state of Minnesota on Super Tuesday, an effort to vote “uncommitted” finished ahead of him.