Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., recently stepped down from his House Democrat leadership role in a move that Fox News Digital is told was not forced but the \u2018writing was on the wall\u2019 over his calls for a primary challenger to President Biden.<\/p>\n
\u2018I have decided to step down from the DPCC & Democratic Caucus leadership,\u2019 Phillips announced in a social media post on Sunday. \u2018While politics & official work do not mix, it\u2019s clear my convictions about 2024 are incongruent with the position of my colleagues & that was causing discomfort. I was not pressured or forced to resign.\u2019<\/p>\n
Fox News Digital is told that Phillips was not pushed out of his role and that leadership was generally supportive of Phillips but that his criticism of President Biden caused ripples in the caucus.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018The writing was on the wall,\u2019 said one source.<\/p>\n
In a follow-up post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Phillips said that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has \u2018provided space & place for all perspectives, and I celebrate him and our DPCC Chair,\u00a0[Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo.] for their authentic & principled leadership.\u2019<\/p>\n
The straw that broke the camel\u2019s back, Fox News Digital is told, came at a House Democratic Caucus meeting last week. During the meeting, Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif., was outspoken against Phillips for suggesting the president step aside.<\/p>\n
Fox News Digital is told that this is the first time that Phillips may have realized his position was causing what was termed \u2018significant discomfort\u2019 among some Democrats.<\/p>\n
Fox has learned that the Minnesota Democrat later spoke to Kamlager-Dove on the floor and asked why she did not come to him privately to express her concerns.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
One source told Fox News Digital that Phillips is \u2018thinking about bigger things,\u2019 including a potential run for president, which the congressman has previously floated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In August, Phillips urged his Democrat colleagues to jump into the race and told NBC\u2019s \u2018Meet the Press\u2019 that he \u2018adores\u2019 Biden but wants him to \u2018pass the torch\u2019 to new leaders.<\/p>\n
\u2018I would like to see a moderate governor, hopefully from the heartland, from one of the four states that Democrats will need,\u2019 Phillips said.<\/p>\n
He continued, \u2018Anybody who wants to run, Joe Manchin, Cornel West \u2026 that\u2019s why we have primaries because that doesn\u2019t undermine the likelihood of returning, in this case, a Democrat to the White House. I\u2019m actively inviting, encouraging to some degree, imploring that people who are ready and know it\u2019s probably time to do so take the chance.\u2019<\/p>\n
Phillips told \u2018The Warning\u2019 podcast last week that he is \u2018thinking about it\u2019 when asked if he is considering running against Biden.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018I haven\u2019t ruled it out,\u2019 he added.<\/p>\n
\u2018I think there are people who are more proximate, better prepared to campaign with national organizations, national name recognition, which I do not possess,\u2019 Phillips added. \u2018I\u2019m concerned that there is no alternative.\u2019<\/p>\n
Phillips did not respond to Fox News Digital\u2019s request for comment. Kamlager-Dove declined to comment.<\/p>\n