Democratic Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips said he is working to prevent President Joe Biden from running in 2024 because the country is “at grave risk of another Trump presidency.”
Phillips launched a campaign to encourage Biden to drop his campaign and is the most vocal Democratic Biden dissenter in Congress. He is also considering tossing his hat into the presidential primary, and met with Democratic donors in New York City to discuss the possibility.
Although the Minnesota Democrat applauds Biden’s tenure at the White House, he says it’s time to “pass the torch” and is worried the president is too weak to successfully run against Trump, The Washington Post reported Thursday.
“We’re at grave risk of another Trump presidency,” Phillips told the outlet. “I’m doing this to prevent a return of Donald Trump to the White House.”
“I want him to preserve his legacy, not to compromise it,” Phillips added, the outlet reported. “And this is exactly why I’m asking — pass the torch, open the stage.” (RELATED: Four Democrats Refuse To Endorse Biden For 2024)
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 10: Representative Dean Phillips, (D-MN), speaks during a hearing March 10, 2021 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Blinken is expected to take questions about the Biden administration’s priorities for U.S. foreign policy. (Photo by Ting Shen-Pool/Getty Images)
Phillips made previous comments about his Biden concerns and has called for “generational change” in the party.
In July 2022, Phillips said he doesn’t think Biden should run again and that he thinks “most of” his “colleagues feel the same way.”
“I think the country would be well-served by a new generation of compelling, well-prepared, dynamic Democrats to step up,” Phillips added.
Biden is currently leading in the polls by a large margin, with Real Clear Politics average showing numbers close to 64%. His Democratic opponents, Robert F. Kennedy and Marianne Williamson, are trailing at 13.8% and 6.5%, respectively.