A Democratic congressman, perhaps the first of many, is now calling on President Joe Biden to resign for the good of the Democratic Party.
Representative Dean Phillips (D-MN) suggested on NBC’s Meet the Press with Chuck Todd that President Joe Biden should consider resigning, pointing to the public’s desire for change and highlighting his significant drop in approval ratings. ‘approval.
Rep. Dean Phillips: “Joe Biden is now down SEVEN POINTS in the four swing states that will decide the next election.” 👀 pic.twitter.com/QtKpW9ZeIH
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) August 13, 2023
The transcript is as follows:
CHUCK TODD: Did I sum it up right? You’re technically not interested in running for president right now, are you?
REP. DEAN PHILLIPS: That’s a fair statement. What I do technically and legitimately is represent. I am a representative and I represent what I believe is the majority of the country that wants to turn the page. Tired of Donald Trump’s pettiness and fear. I would like to see Joe Biden, a wonderful and remarkable man, pass the torch, cement this extraordinary legacy.
CHUCK TODD: You don’t want him to run for re-election?
REP. DEAN PHILLIPS: I think what’s in the best interest of the country, and of course that’s not what everybody thinks, but I think the majority wants to move on. The news was that I was meeting with the donors. The fact is, I listen to ordinary Americans every day and my own feelings.
CHUCK TODD: Is this all about age?
REP. DEAN PHILLIPS: No, no. This is about how people feel. By the way, it’s not about what’s real all the time. It’s about how people feel. People want to turn the page. I think it’s fair to say that. As a Democrat, I adore Joe Biden. He saved this country. It can consolidate its legacy. My real call to action right now is not about me. The call to action is asking the president to pass the torch. There is an extraordinary bank of people ready to go, close, ready, in position…
CHUCK TODD: Who would you like to see in this race?
REP. DEAN PHILLIPS: I’d like to see a moderate governor, hopefully from the heartland, from one of the four states that Democrats will need, especially…
CHUCK TODD: So let’s see. Gretchen Whitmer, would you like to see her? Or is it Tim Walz, the governor of your home state? Tony Evers? help me here
REP. DEAN PHILLIPS: You just mentioned some names that I think would be great. Josh Shapiro. There are a number of people. JB Pritzker. Some people have asked me not to use their names because of this institutional fear that it might affect you in the future. This is the time to know the moment. And I’m doing something that — I know it’s unpopular with Democrats. But I’m telling the truth. This is my job. My duty is to the people I represent. But also to represent the majority of the masses. And I want to say this about the Democrats, it’s very important. Joe Biden is now down seven points in the four swing states that will decide the next election. He has a historically low approval rating, Chuck. About 55% of Democrats would like to see an alternative. I can keep going down the list. The fact of the matter is –
CHUCK TODD: No, no. Everything you are saying we have also heard privately. Why do you think it’s all private? Why do you think this hand wringing was made public only for you?
REP. DEAN PHILLIPS: It’s very simple. People focus on self-preservation and not principles. There is no political reward in America right now for simply telling the truth. Look what happened to my fellow Republicans who dared to do the right thing and support the Constitution. Support the Constitution, the only thing we are bound to. Look what happened to them. It’s not good to step out of line. It’s not good to raise your hand, stand up, shout a little, at a time when we need it more than ever. And I’m afraid that’s the culture of this institution here in Washington DC
CHUCK TODD: And I saw — you think Hunter Biden reinforces that even more, right?
REP. DEAN PHILLIPS: I don’t think the president is corrupt. I think the research will prove it. But, and this is the important part, it is the image. That’s what the news will do. We know what era we live in, in partisanship. It is the adhesion to the president. Most people don’t watch Meet the Press every weekend.
CHUCK TODD: But that wouldn’t happen to any Democratic candidate?
REP. DEAN PHILLIPS: It probably will, and it makes me sad. And those are the people I’m trying to represent right now, Chuck, the people who are sick and tired of this nonsense. We have a duopoly, we have a political industrial complex that if they agree on something, it’s the status quo. And by the way, I have problems with Donald Trump now. I have no problem with Trumpers trying to find someone to change the system. The hardware is fine, the software is a problem, the people we’re populating the system with. And I understand the need for transparency. We need to regain faith in government. We should do it in a thoughtful, meaningful, legitimate and bipartisan way. And it can be done. We need the next generation of leaders to do that. And I’m just voicing that point of view that I think most Americans share.
CHUCK TODD: What can President Biden do to make sure he gets a second term?
REP. DEAN PHILLIPS: I’m not saying he’s not ready for a second term. What I’m saying is look at the data. I listen. My job is to listen. I do it every day in Minnesota, across the country…
CHUCK TODD: Right, can you change the data?
REP. DEAN PHILLIPS: That’s the challenge. I come from the world of marketing. You just explained my background. Sometimes you have a product that’s extraordinary, hits the spot, you think it’s going to be the next big thing, and it just doesn’t happen. And in business, you have to recognize it, because data tells the truth. The data tells the truth right now. And if no one is willing to talk about it before it’s too late, that’s the key. It’s not too late.
CHUCK TODD: The case you’re talking against is basically the story of our lives, okay? Go back, the last four sitting presidents who had serious challengers in the primaries, that party lost the White House.
REP. DEAN PHILLIPS: But Chuck, why…
CHUCK TODD: We can go back to LBJ, but also Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George HW Bush.
REP. DEAN PHILLIPS: But why were they primaries? Because people recognized that they were weak. The country was ready to turn the page. Now, we could have an hour of debate on this topic, and I understand that. I ran for Congress after the 2016 election. I woke up the next morning, my teenage daughters were crying. I promised them I would do something. I will not stand still now, five years later, when the same trauma could be affecting the country, if Donald Trump is re-elected. So I will do nothing to make sure that Donald Trump is reelected. But Chuck, it’s very important that people know this. I’m doing the complete opposite. And if people right now aren’t willing to have that conversation, to have the discussion, and most importantly, to present some alternatives, how are we going to look at these numbers and say everything is fine? But the hopes and dreams and prayers, I love them. They don’t solve gun violence, they don’t give Americans health insurance, do they? And they certainly won’t change the numbers I’m seeing right now.
CHUCK TODD: Have you talked to Joe Manchin? Do you want him to run in a Democratic primary instead of independent for No Labels?
REP. DEAN PHILLIPS: I want anybody who wants to run — Joe Manchin, Cornel West, any of the governors —
CHUCK TODD: Do you want him in the primary?
REP. DEAN PHILLIPS: In elementary school. That’s why we have primaries, because that doesn’t hurt the likelihood of returning, in this case, a Democrat to the White House. So that’s the key. Enter elementary, my friends. Everyone on the bench, you know the moment. Don’t wait five years. we need you now
CHUCK TODD:
When are you going to make a decision? You’re waiting for someone, you said, with a bigger name…
REP. DEAN PHILLIPS: I’m not waiting. No –
CHUCK TODD: – to come in. How long will you wait?
REP. DEAN PHILLIPS: Waiting is like hopes and prayers. I’m actively inviting, encouraging, to a degree, imploring that people who are ready and know it’s probably time to do it, take the opportunity.
CHUCK TODD: You’ve met with donors. Do they go directly to some of these candidates and ask them to come in, or not?
REP. DEAN PHILLIPS:
Well, Chuck, if donors and ordinary, everyday, wonderful Americans come to me of all people, don’t you think they approach these people in much higher numbers with even greater frequency?
CHUCK TODD: But you don’t know yet.
REP. DEAN PHILLIPS: No, I know they are. And I will make the decision when I do my best over the next month to encourage others to do so. Please, this is an appeal to everyone of good conscience and good character. Let’s turn the page. And imagine how fun, hopeful and exciting that would be. we will do it
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