Members of “the Squad” of progressive Democrats refused to say whether they think President Joe Biden should participate in a primary debate against his Democrat challengers before voters decide on a presidential nominee in 2024.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) recently announced there would be no debates before the Democrat presidential primary – as is customary for an incumbent president – despite concerns over the strength of Biden’s reelection campaign.
When asked if they believe Biden, the oldest president in U.S. history, should be obligated to face his 2024 Democrat challengers on the debate stage, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Cori Bush, D-Mo., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., and Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
While historically no incumbent president has ever entered into a primary debate, questions over Biden’s ability to serve another four years prompted backlash on the DNC’s decision from voters and declared Democrat presidential candidates.
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Marianne Williamson, one of the three 2024 Democrat hopefuls, expressed her frustration with the lack of debates, saying “the fate of our democracy is at stake.”
“The people have a right to hear from other candidates with other ideas. This is not a time in our history for people to acquiesce to any form of control over things that will affect our lives and the lives of our children,” she wrote in a Newsweek oped.
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“Candidate suppression is a form of voter suppression, and the party that purports to be the champion of democracy should not be so wary of it in our own house. The Democratic Party must allow President Biden to debate his opponents. The fate of our democracy is at stake, and only more democracy can save it,” Williamson wrote.
Candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. similarly challenged Biden to a debate: “I look forward to engaging him in debates and town hall meetings, in a primary election that is honest, civil, and transparent. I invite him into a new era of respectful dialog in these times of division,” the Democrat wrote in a Twitter post.
“I mean, what the hell? How is this a democracy?” said “Dawson’s Creek” actor James Van Der Beek in a Memorial Day TikTok to blast the DNC’s decision to not hold a primary debate.
“I cannot get over the fact that the Democratic National Committee is saying there will not be a debate to decide the nominee for president. Are you f—ing kidding me? There’s no debate?” the actor said.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., a recent addition to “the Squad,” told Fox News Digital on Wednesday, “It’s up to the president if he wants to do it or not,” when asked about a potential debate with Kennedy Jr.
“The president has a very strong record to stand on, so whoever decides to debate him, they’re going to have an uphill climb. So, it’s up to the president to decide, I don’t know,” Bowman said.
The New York rep did not respond to Fox News Digital’s Thursday inquiry about Biden taking the debate stage against his primary challengers.
As voters across the country decide who will be the Democrat nominee in 2024, an April NBC News poll found that nearly three out of four Americans do not think Biden should run for reelection, citing concerns over his age.
Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind and Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.
