Rep. Matt Gaetz responded to Rep. Dean Phillips’ presidential campaign, predicting that the Minnesota Democrat might pose a significant threat to President Joe Biden’s reelection bid. He even suggested that Phillips would present a more formidable challenge to former President Donald Trump in the upcoming 2024 elections.
“President Biden is a good man and someone I tremendously respect. I understand why other Democrats don’t want to run against him, and why we are here. This is a last-minute campaign, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and courage is an important value to me,” Phillips said.
“If Biden debates Phillips, Dean will be the Democrat nominee and he will be considerably more difficult for Trump to defeat than Biden,” Gaetz said on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter. “But Biden won’t debate.”
Phillips, on Thursday, made his intentions clear to challenge Biden for the Democratic nomination. He conveyed his concerns to CBS News, stating that he couldn’t remain silent given the current polling data indicating that the president might face a significant challenge from Trump in the next elections.
“I didn’t set out to enter this race. But it looks like on our current course, the Democrats will lose and Trump will be our President again,” Phillips stated.
Recent polling data paints a picture of a close contest should Biden and Trump compete in a general election rematch. The latest figures indicate a slight lead for the former president over the current Democratic incumbent, as per data from FiveThirtyEight.
While the extent of the challenge Phillips might present to Biden remains uncertain, many within the party have already expressed their support for Biden’s reelection. Yet, Phillips, a three-term congressman, encourages other Democrats to step forward, advocating for a broader pool of candidates for the electorate to consider.
