Minnesota Congressman Criticizes Biden and Praises Trump’s White House Outreach

Dean Phillips, a congressman from Minnesota, has made remarks criticizing Joe Biden and praising the outreach efforts of the Trump White House. Phillips, who is mounting a campaign to primary Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination, stated that he believes Biden is too old and not the right person to defeat Trump. He commended the Trump administration for working closely with him on important initiatives, which he claims he has not seen from the Biden White House.

Phillips specifically mentioned two initiatives he worked on with the Trump White House. One was the extension of the Deferred Enforced Departure program for Liberians in the US. Phillips acknowledged that the Trump administration signed off on an extension of the program, which saved hundreds of families from deportation to Liberia. The second initiative was a 2020 reform to Covid-era federal aid, concerning forgiveness of small business loans. Phillips collaborated with Chip Roy, a hard-right Texas Republican, on this initiative.

Phillips emphasized the need for an executive in the White House and argued that both Biden and Trump are not executives. He described Trump as a disaster and a developer, not an executive, while expressing his belief that Biden lacks executive qualities as well. Phillips, who comes from an executive background in the manufacturing industry, stated that he has a different leadership style and believes it’s time for a significant change in leadership.

The congressman reflected on his motivation to enter politics, citing his daughter’s fear about her own country after the 2016 election. He flipped a district that hadn’t elected a Democrat in decades and has since won re-election by significant margins. Phillips emphasized his ability to appeal to independents and Republicans, using invitation rather than confrontation.

As he criticizes Trump as an existential threat to democracy, Phillips reiterated that Biden, at 81 years old, is the wrong person to take on Trump. He believes that Americans have already made up their minds about Biden’s age and capabilities, and that this perception could hurt him in the general election. Phillips pointed out that Trump, a man with a controversial past, is currently leading in the polls, highlighting the importance of extraordinary character and values.