Long-shot Democratic presidential hopeful Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) is furious that he hasn't been invited to appear on MSNBC, the favored network for many liberals — and he's blaming President Joe Biden and his allies.
The Minnesota Democrat is polling 60 points behind the president in his Democratic primary challenge, but he blames that in part on what he sees as an attention deficit from the media, although he has appeared on CNN a handful of times but hasn't been given a town-hall event like some low-polling Republican candidates, reported Politico.
“Right media has been more than invitational,” Phillips said. “I don’t think there’s an MSNBC viewer that even knows that I’m a congressman, because what’s being portrayed is designed to prevent that education.”
Phillips believes the Biden campaign is pressuring media outlets into blackballing him.
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“I do know of specific cases where representatives of the Biden campaign have been very clear to others about trying to not attend events of mine, to not support me, and to not platform me,” Phillips said, although he declined to identify them. “It is almost antithetical to democratic principles, which include debate, deliberation and ultimately compromise.”
Biden campaign spokesperson TJ Ducklo offered a three-letter response to the Democratic challenger's concerns: "LOL."
MSNBC declined to comment, but its limited coverage of the Phillips campaign was nearly as brutally dismissive as Ducklo's response.
“Literally zero voters showed up,” said MSNBC host Alex Wagner earlier this week, showing footage from a Phillips event. “The people you see drinking coffee around Mr. Phillips here are his own staffers."
