2024 Democratic presidential candidate Dean Phillips says he's worried Biden may lose to Trump

Newly announced Democratic presidential candidate and Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips says that he is running for the office because he is concerned that President Biden might not be able to defeat former President Donald Trump in the upcoming election. 

“Right now, if this election was held today, President Biden would lose, and it is an existential threat to the future of the United States of America," Phillips said during a Friday interview on NBC's “Meet the Press."

Phillips officially entered the 2024 Democratic presidential primary race earlier this week. He kicked off his campaign Friday with an event in Concord, New Hampshire. 

He stated during the NBC interview that he thinks he will be the 2024 Democratic nominee, but if he's not he will support whoever it is. 

“I will not demean the president; I will not undermine him,” Phillips said. “Whoever the Democratic nominee is — I believe it will be me — but if it is someone else, I promise to do everything I can — every ounce of energy, every moment of my day — to ensure that he or she is elected, because that’s how important it is right now.”

Prior to being elected to Congress, the 54-year-old was heir to his stepfather's Phillips Distilling Company empire and once served as that company's president. He also ran the gelato maker Talenti.

Phillips added that he believes that D.C. is corrupt and needs a politician who "does not come from 50 years of spending time in Washington.”