Democratic congressman who ran against Biden citing ‘physical decline’ defends his decision: ‘Vindication’
2024-12-28
Category: media

Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips, who ran a failed presidential campaign against President Biden, defended his decision to oppose his party's leadership in a recent interview despite criticism. Phillips announced in 2023 that he will not seek re-election in 2024. The decision came after he ran a long-shot primary challenge against Biden. While his campaign was unsuccessful, the Minnesota congressman used his media engagements to shine a light on his concerns with Biden's age.&nbsp; "We are totally devoid of leadership. We are rudderless," Phillips said in an interview with Politico.&nbsp; LIES ABOUT BIDEN'S AGE, HEALTH DURING HIS PRESIDENCY IS A 'SCANDAL OF EPIC PROPORTIONS,' SCOTT JENNINGS SAYS  "If what I feel now is vindication, it’s awfully unsatisfying," Phillips said. "I felt vindicated the day I announced my campaign, because I knew this was not an opinion. This was a fact. The fact was, he was not in a position to win. The fact was his approval numbers were historically low. The fact was his physical decline was real. And the only vindication I cared about was my own, and I’m saddened that I’m vindicated. I would have much rather traded that vindication for success, and that’s why I’m so utterly disappointed in many of my colleagues and our party." Phillips became a pariah within the Democratic Party for a time after he launched a longshot primary campaign against Biden late last year. He had argued for months beforehand that the 81-year-old president needed to pass the torch to a new generation of leaders. Phillips told Politico that following President-elect Donald Trump's victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party needs a "comprehensive turnaround."&nbsp; BIDEN 'A LITTLE OLDER AND A LITTLE SLOWER' IN THE FINAL DAYS OF HIS PRESIDENCY: NEW YORK TIMES REPORT  "A party that consists of multiple silos and campaign committees and outside groups cannot strategically do its job, and that means leadership," Phillips said.&nbsp; "And in my presidential campaign, I regret that I wasn’t able to generate a platform to really wake people up to this nightmare into which we sleepwalked," he said.&nbsp; Fox News' Paul Steinhauser, Elizabeth Elkind and Matteo Cina contributed to this report.&nbsp; CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP&nbsp;