Dean Phillips says ‘it’s delusional’ to think Biden can beat Trump

Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) on Saturday criticized President Biden for his recent poll numbers, arguing it’s “delusional” to think he could overtake former President Trump in a rematch.

“As a member of House Democratic Leadership, I supported and promoted the Biden agenda, Phillips wrote Saturday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “I campaigned for him, voted for him, and respect him.”

“But how can anyone read this and conclude he’s positioned to defeat Donald Trump?” he added, sharing an article from Politico centered on Biden’s fall in approval ratings. “It’s delusional.”

The Politico analysis piece noted that in survey results from 13 separate pollsters in November alone, the president’s position had fallen in all but two of them.

The Minnesota Democrat has faced fierce backlash since announcing his long-shot primary challenge to Biden’s reelection campaign.

In an interview earlier this month, Phillips defended his decision, pointing to Biden’s “historically low” approval ratings. He also compared the incumbent’s chances to that of Jimmy Carter’s in 1980, saying Biden is facing the same circumstances.

“[Biden’s] approval numbers are historically low, rivaling only Jimmy Carter, who got slaughtered, of course, in that election,” Phillips told CNN. “[Carter] had a Democratic primary challenger because he was going to get slaughtered in the election.”

One of the issues affecting Biden’s poll numbers is his handling of the war between Israel and Hamas, which is ongoing. Phillips has also been an outspoken critic of his response.

A temporary truce began Friday morning, giving Hamas four-days to return up to 50 hostages in exchange for the release of more than 100 Palestinian prisoners, including youth. The Minnesota lawmaker called the recent hostage deal between the groups “absurd, shocking and dismaying.”

He argued that U.S. special forces should have played a hand in extracting Americans held captive by the militant group. An initial wave of hostages was released on Friday, but no Americans were among those freed.

Phillips’ latest rebuke of the president comes after the lawmaker announced he would not seek reelection to his House seat, claiming it was “time to pass the torch.”

“It’s been the most joyful experience of my life representing the most civically engaged community in the nation in Congress,” Phillips wrote Friday on X.

“But it’s time to pass the torch, it’s time for change, and our best days are yet to come!” he added.