‘We Are Rewarded for Being Cowards’: Dean Phillips Says Democrats Had To Keep Quiet About Biden’s ‘Decline’ To Avoid Being ‘Punished’

Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) told Newsmax his Democratic colleagues kept quiet about President Joe Biden’s “decline” because members of Congress are “rewarded for being cowards” and “punished” for telling the truth.

Speaking to Newsmax anchor Greta Van Susteren on Wednesday about Biden’s decision to drop out of the race following concerns about his alleged cognitive decline, Phillips said it had always been “just a matter of when.”

“I knew this was a conversation we were going to have to have at some point. It wasn’t a matter of if, it was just a matter of when, so it saddens me that it took this long,” said Phillips. “He served the country beautifully, I think, for 50 years, and it’s kind of a sad way to end one’s tenure and I hope tonight we all take a moment and reflect on that.”

After Van Susteren questioned why it took so long for Democrats to even have a debate over Biden’s ability to serve as president for four more years, Phillips said, “My intention was to have that debate, at least in a primary setting, many, many months before. I’d seen that decline, my colleagues had seen that decline.”

“Why didn’t anybody speak up though?” Van Susteren pressed.

Phillips – who ran against Biden for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination, before dropping out in March – replied:

I’ll be forthright. First, I saw this disease, the culture of silence, the disease of silence, I saw it first amongst my Republican colleagues during Trump’s presidency. Many of them would excoriate him privately, and then get in front of the cameras and just count the blessings and tell people how much they loved him and supported him. And then I saw the same thing on my side, where people would express concern about his abilities and his decline privately, and then get in front of the cameras and say everything is fine. But that’s part of the rewards system in Congress. We are rewarded for being cowards and punished for being courageous, and that’s how this game works. You wanna keep your seat? You wanna ascend the leadership ladder? You wanna run for Senate or president some day? You gotta play the game, you gotta stay in line, you gotta be part of the team. That’s not what this entire country was founded on. It’s just the opposite.

He continued, “I ran against him because I saw the decline. I did not think he would be in a position to serve ably for another term. But I will say this, I have not seen evidence of a cognitive impairment. I’ve seen his gait change, I’ve seen his ability to communicate decline, clearly not able to do so like he used to be.”

Phillips concluded, however, that if he “had seen any semblance of someone who I thought was unable to prosecute the job of president, believe me, if anybody on my side of the aisle would say something, it would be me. I’ve not seen that.”

Watch above via Newsmax.