U.S. House Rep. Bennie Thompson, the only Democrat in Mississippi’s congressional delegation, is standing by President Joe Biden as the party’s presidential candidate amid a wave of calls for him to step aside.
“I will take Joe Biden any day over convicted felon Trump,” the congressman, who represents Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District, said in a comment his office shared with the Mississippi Free Press on Monday. His district encompasses much of the Mississippi Delta and the City of Jackson.
Thompson’s press secretary, Yasmine Brown, told the Mississippi Free Press that the congressman “will be featured in several interviews to expound on his position in the coming days.” Thompson made appearances on CNN later on Monday to reiterate his support for the president.
“The Congressman is in full support of President Biden and does not plan on changing his stance anytime soon,” Brown said.
Since Biden struggled in a debate against Republican nominee Donald Trump on June 27, some Democratic officials have called on the 81-year-old president to withdraw and allow someone younger, such as Vice President Kamala Harris, to take over at the top of the ticket.
Biden has publicly resisted calls to withdraw. “It’s time to come together, move forward as a unified party, and defeat Donald Trump,” he said in a letter to congressional Democrats on Monday.
Amid the rancor, the public has increasingly turned its attention to Project 2025, a plan to transform the federal government under a future Trump presidency that would include a massive expansion of presidential power and the ousting of 50,000 government workers in favor of Trump loyalists.
Though Biden did not mention it during the debate, others, such as actress Taraji P. Henson at BET Awards, have raised alarms about the plan. The president brought it up in a campaign statement on Saturday. The manifesto’s backers include Christian nationalists and Christian dominionists who want to enshrine their religious ideas into law.
Though Trump, a recently convicted felon who faces dozens more criminal charges, has attempted to distance himself from Project 2025, its drafters include former Trump administration officials and potential officials in a new Trump administration. “I know nothing about Project 2025,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on July 5. “I have no idea who is behind it. I disagree with some of the things they’re saying and some of the things they’re saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal. Anything they do, I wish them luck, but I have nothing to do with them.”
“He’s trying to hide his connections to his allies’ extreme Project 2025 agenda,” Biden said in the statement on Saturday. “The only problem? It was written for him, by those closest to him. Project 2025 should scare every single American.”
During an interview on CNN with Anderson Cooper on Monday evening, Rep. Thompson warned that Trump would seek dictatorial powers if he wins the presidency.
“My plea to my Democratic colleagues is sure, you can express yourself, but at some point, if Joe Biden continues to run the campaign and he’s the nominee, we all have to rally behind him,” the Mississippi Democrat said.
