The White House mocked President Biden’s primary challenger on Thanksgiving, referring to longshot presidential candidate Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) as an “unseasoned turkey.”
Phillips, 54, took swipes at both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in a recent Atlantic article, using particularly sharp words that he “hear[d] from others” about the veep’s preparedness and competence.
The lawmaker noted that his personal interactions with Harris have shown that she is “thoughtful” and would be able to become president if “something happened” to Biden, who turned 81 years old on Monday.
“[I]n the [A]tlantic, [I] shared kind words about @VP [H]arris because that’s been my personal experience and [I] respect her,” Phillips later clarified on X.
“[I] shouldn’t have referenced other people’s opinions. [I] own that and apologize to her and everyone who’s been affected by similar circumstances.”
The veiled attack and mea culpa drew a rebuke from White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates on Thanksgiving morning.
“This Thanksgiving, steer clear of unseasoned turkeys,” Bates said on X, reposting Phillips’ remarks.
Recent polls have shown a majority of Americans expressing concern about Biden’s age — and former President Donald Trump surging past him in a hypothetical 2024 general election matchup.
But Phillips is 66 percentage points behind Biden in surveys for the Democratic nomination, according to the RealClearPolitics average, with spiritual guru Marianne Williamson also ahead of the Minnesota Democrat by three percentage points.
Phillips is currently serving his third term in the House and has voted with Biden 100% of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight, despite choosing to challenge the president for the Democratic nomination in late October.
The president is spending Thanksgiving at billionaire David Rubenstein’s Nantucket mansion, while declining to disclose whether he or the Carlyle Group co-chairman is paying for the six-day holiday.
Biden has failed to disclose the Thanksgiving trips to Rubenstein’s estate every year of his presidency — either as gifts or personal payments — prompting an outcry from ethics experts who have spoken with The Post.
If elected to a second term, Biden will be 86 years old when he leaves office.
The president has served in national politics for nearly five decades, first as a Democratic senator from Delaware from 1973 to 2009 and then as vice president under former President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2017.