Marianne Williamson, the first Democrat to formally challenge President Joe Biden for the 2024 primary, has accused the Democratic National Committee (DNC) of making it “easier” for the 80-year-old incumbent to win the party’s nomination.
“I am still getting some patronizing treatment, and as we know ... the DNC has said that there will be no debates and they are clearly doing what they can to make it easier for the president to win the nomination. But I’m out there, and I have another opponent who is out there,” Williamson said.
“The American people are waking up. The only way to protect our democracy is through the practice of more democracy,” she continued. “So, the American people at a time like this—for the sake of our democracy—should have options, should have as much array in front of them of ideas, whether they’re on the left or on the right, whether they’re on the Republican Party of Democratic Party. That’s democracy.”
“It’s not just that I deserve to have a chance to get my message out there. I think the American people deserve to hear whoever is running and what they have to say,” she concluded.
“The DNC should not be rigging this system,” Williamson told ABC’s “This Week” in March. “They don’t even pretend anymore. They’re not even covert about their swaying the primary season. They’re very overt about it.”
When asked if she expects an opportunity to debate Biden, Williamson said the president “certainly should” debate her and allow voters to decide who deserves the nomination.
System Is ‘Rigged’
Williamson is not the only Democrat to decry the DNC’s reported plans. Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.—the son of former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy—recently weighed in on the matter as well.“Americans think the entire system is rigged against them,” he added. “And if the DNC goes through with this—its plan to not have debate—I think that will serve as … an unfortunate confirmation to a lot of Americans that the system is indeed rigged.”
Democrats say Biden is running because he feels he is the only candidate who stands a chance against former President Donald Trump, the current frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024.
In announcing his candidacy, the Pennsylvania native declared it his job to defend “freedom.”