Dean Phillips says Biden's dropping reelection bid was 'strangely joyful'

Democratic Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips on Monday celebrated President Joe Biden's decision to not seek reelection this November, claiming his own presidential campaign was meant to "sound the alarm bell" about the president.

Phillips ran a long-shot bid for the Democratic nomination this election cycle, but suspended his campaign after it failed to gain any momentum. 

The Minnesota lawmaker, who is currently in Chicago for the Democratic convention, said he felt vindicated now that Biden has dropped out and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. He also claimed Biden's leaving the race was his goal, not necessarily winning the nomination himself.

“This was the mission. And I think we’ll find out on Nov. 5, but I think mission may well be accomplished,” Phillips told Politico. “It was a mission of principle. What mattered is how I felt and my values and what I believe was so important. And what's so joyful is everyone came around. It wasn't about me."

"I was trying to be a Paul Revere, not a George Washington," he continued. "It took Joe Biden to be George Washington ... I was just trying to sound the alarm bell. It was strangely joyful."

The Democratic lawmaker also shared that he was relieved his party welcomed him back after his bid, and did not "excommunicate" him.

He additionally praised Harris's decision to choose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, claiming he was a "brilliant" choice.

"He knows how to fix a lawnmower," Phillips said of Walz. "He knows how to skin a deer. He knows how to plow his driveway. And that says something for a party that has now been classified as coastal."

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.