EXCLUSIVE — Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) criticized President Joe Biden’s “Bidenomics” economic slogan, claiming it misses the mark entirely.
“‘Bidenomics’ is a terrible slogan,” Phillips, who is challenging Biden in the Democratic presidential primary in 2024, told the Washington Examiner in an interview this week. “It is misguided in both its intention and strategy.”
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Polls have found that while the economy is seeing positive indicators and progress, voters aren’t feeling it, and they also aren’t crediting Biden with it.
According to Phillips, it’s because Biden isn’t addressing “the real issue,” which he says is “affordability.”
Phillips is stressing two major messages with his nascent campaign: “Joe Biden will not beat Donald Trump in 2024, and the issue of this election will be affordability.”
The Minnesota Democrat isn’t the only party member disillusioned with the tag line, however. Democratic lawmakers in the House have stopped pushing the president’s slogan in press releases and on social media, per Axios. Over the summer, House Democrats reportedly decided “People Over Politics” would be a more effective message given the poor polling of “Bidenomics.”
This sentiment was shared by a top House Democratic aide, who told the Washington Examiner earlier this fall the slogan was “not going to help Biden’s standing in the polls.”
“People are frustrated with the economy right now, and claiming ‘Bidenomics’ is working is both out of touch and bad strategy,” the aide said at the time.
Despite the various criticisms of the slogan, Biden’s White House hasn’t ditched it from signage and messaging, though since November, Biden himself has largely refrained from using the word “Bidenomics” in speeches, and the White House has revived “MAGAnomics.”
“You can expect him to continue to talk about Bidenomics and how it’s delivered for the American people,” White House spokesman Michael Kikukawa told the Washington Post.
In addition to Biden’s economic messaging not winning over voters, Phillips said he’s running for the Democratic nomination because of the numerous polls showing voters are not enthusiastic about Biden, particularly his age and perceived mental acuity.
“I’m referring to what the country is saying makes him unelectable,” Phillips said, noting he’s not saying directly Biden is too old for the job but merely acknowledging the widespread public sentiment.
He emphasized the importance of listening to the public when they say they do not want him to be president. Phillips also noted that former President Donald Trump is 77 years old and also presents an age concern for voters. “Both men will be in their 80s” at the end of their term if elected in 2024, Phillips said.
The majority of the country, he explained, doesn’t want either candidate, even though both are leading their respective primary fields.
“There’s this immense appetite for change, a substantial desire to turn the page,” Phillips said about voter sentiment on the campaign trail.
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Phillips said he sees his path to the nomination through New Hampshire, particularly since Biden’s campaign opted against filing for the state’s historic first-in-the-nation primary due to the Democratic National Committee’s recent decision to move South Carolina up in the schedule. With Biden tasked with a write-in campaign in the state, Phillips is seizing on the opportunity to court New Hampshire voters.
In a poll conducted in the state just weeks after his campaign launch, Phillips garnered 10% of the primary vote. Biden still led at 65% in the University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll, but his share of support was less than it was in both July and September.
