The Democrat said "hundreds" of his fellow Democrats shared his concerns over Biden's prospects. He argued the president's low approval ratings would have made members jump ship in any other industry.
"In the business world, if the dominant brand in a category had favorability ratings like the current president does, you would see a number of established brands jump into that category," Phillips told writer Mark Leibovich.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a rally hosted by the Democratic National Committee (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Democrat complained "literally hundreds" of fellow Democrat politicians agreed with him but they refused to speak out.
"Believe me, there are literally hundreds in Congress who would say the same thing," he said. "But they simply won’t f---ing say a word."
Two recent polls back up the idea that the majority of Democrats secretly wanted another nominee in the next election.
Last month an Associated Press poll found 62% of Democrats wanted to move on from Biden. A second poll released the same week from the Washington Post and ABC showed that 58% of Democrats wanted another nominee.
In addition, four anonymous House Democrats told CNN that the president only had support of about half of Democrats in Congress to be the 2024 nominee.
U.S. President Joe Biden stops to speak to reporters as he walks to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House February 24, 2023 in Washington, DC. Biden is spending the weekend at his home in Delaware. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
PRESIDENT BIDEN ADMITS THAT IT'S ‘TOTALLY LEGITIMATE’ TO QUESTION HIS AGE AND HEALTH
Biden has recently addressed the growing concerns over his age in interviews with MSNBC and ABC News.
He called it "totally legitimate" for voters to "raise issues about my age," but denied it would be a factor in him choosing whether to seek re-election.
Biden has not yet formally announced his plans to run for president in 2024.