Phillips congratulates Biden on ‘a good old fashioned whooping’

Long-shot presidential candidate Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) congratulated President Biden on Saturday for winning the South Carolina Democratic primary, joking that he got “a good old fashioned whooping.” 

“Cracking four digits never felt so good,” Phillips wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, after the race was called for the incumbent. “Congratulations, Mr. President, on a good old fashioned whooping. See you in Michigan.” 

His concession comes after Biden garnered more than 96 percent of the vote, according to the latest tally by Decision Desk HQ, a partner of The Hill. As of 10 p.m. EST, Biden has garnered 55 delegates, with 10 still left to allocate.

In his victory remarks, Biden reflected on his 2020 win in the state, a sparkplug that helped him in his quest to win the White House over former President Trump.

“As I said four years ago, this campaign is for everyone who has been knocked down, counted out and left behind,” Biden wrote on X. “That is still true today.”

“In 2020, it was the voters of South Carolina who proved the pundits wrong, breathed new life into our campaign, and set us on the path to winning the Presidency,” he added. “Now in 2024, the people of South Carolina have spoken again and I have no doubt that you have set us on the path to winning the Presidency again — and making Donald Trump a loser — again.

For Phillips, who has secured less than 2 percent of the vote in the Palmetto State, the loss undermines his primary pitch that enthusiasm among Democratic voters for Biden is questionable and that the president’s lower approval ratings and age will play in the congressman’s favor. 

The Democratic Michigan primary, the next contest in the race, is set to take place on Feb. 27 — with Biden, Phillips and author Marianne Williamson on the ballot.