Democratic Minnesota Congressman and presidential candidate Dean Phillips calls former President Donald Trump’s supporters “thoughtful, hospitable, friendly” after attending a rally for Trump’s 2024 run.
“I saw the line of people waiting in the cold for hours, and I thought, ‘What the heck, I’m going to be a leader who actually invites people, doesn’t condemn them,’” he said. “I met probably 50 Trump people waiting in line. Every single one of them: thoughtful, hospitable, friendly.”
However, they were frustrated, he said, because they felt no one was listening to them but Trump, adding that the crowd was “diverse.”
He felt his party, however, had become “completely delusional.”
“And somebody had to wake us up, and if that’s my job, so be it,” he said.
His words echo a shift in how Trump supporters are being discussed, as heard in JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon’s interview on CNBC when he stated that Democrats should be more respectful when talking about MAGA, referring to the Trump slogan “Make America Great Again.”
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He told MSNBC that Democrats are scapegoating Trump supporters, who he said aren’t voting for Trump for his “family values,” but because of his effectiveness in office.
“Just take a step back—be honest—he was kind of right about NATO, kind of right about immigration,” Mr. Dimon said. “He grew the economy quite well. Tax reform worked. He was right about some of China. ... He wasn’t wrong about some of these critical issues, and that’s why they’re voting for him.”
Because they are fellow citizens, Democrats should refrain from disparaging Trump voters as they have been doing, he said.
One host agreed, saying it’s “hard to hate 75 million of your fellow Americans.”
Mr. Dimon said that framing Trump supporters as “deplorables” who are “hugging onto their Bibles and their beer and their guns” is not going to help Democrats.
“I mean, really, could we just stop that stuff and actually grow up and treat other people with respect and listen to them a little bit?” Mr. Dimon said. “I think this negative talk about MAGA is going to hurt Biden’s election campaign.”
‘Get in the Game’
Later in the Mr. Phillips interview, the reporter asked, “But you would rather have though have Biden in the White House again than Trump in the White House, yes?”“Of course,” he said. “Absolutely.”
She then asked if Mr. Phillips’ bid for the White House has made President Joe Biden stronger “because that was one of your goals.”
“Have you succeeded in that?” she asked.
“I’m trying to extend an invitation to the president to get in the game because if you want to be the president again, the only way to even possibly win is to get out there,” he said. “Listen to voters.”
She pressed on, asking if his bid for the White House made President Biden “stronger or weaker.”
The Democrats have surrendered “hundreds of hours of prime-time TV” over to Republicans because they have a competitive race, he said.
“If Democrats had a competitive race right now, which I’m trying to create, we would have energy,” he said.
However, President Joe Biden, he said, “is doing nothing.”
“And if he’s not going to debate, if he’s not going to answer questions . . .. How many interviews has he done? He’s not doing town halls. He’s not showing up. So, yes, I’m trying to do him a favor to show up.”
Mr. Phillips said he would back President Biden “in a heartbeat” if he would “get in the game.”
‘He Might Beat Biden’
Trump recently stated at his rally in New Hampshire that the Democrats at the New Hampshire primary should vote for Mr. Phillips.“He might beat Biden, wouldn’t that be nice? I think Democrats should vote for the congressman just to send a signal [that] you don’t abandon us. Nobody is going to abandon New Hampshire,” he said.
Mr. Phillips has been critical of President Biden’s absence in active debates and campaigning, as well as his absence in New Hampshire, where he didn’t register to be on the ballot.
“The fact that we’re not having a spirited competition, the fact that the president is not campaigning, means we are simply handing over hours of prime time television to every single GOP candidate,” he said.
The Union Leader, New Hampshire’s largest newspaper, backed Mr. Phillips in an editorial published on Jan. 22, calling him a “reasonable alternative” to President Biden.
“For anyone who supports Joe Biden for his policies but would prefer a president born during the Vietnam War rather than WWII, they will not be disappointed with Dean Phillips,” the editorial said.
Aldgra Fredly and Caden Pearson contributed to this report.
