Actor James Van Der Beek is blasting the Democratic National Committee for not allowing primary debates against President Joe Biden.
Van Der Beek took the party to task over the decision in a video posted to TikTok on Memorial Day.
“I cannot get over the fact that the Democratic National Committee is saying there will not be a debate to decide the nominee for president,” Van Der Beek said. “Are you f-cking kidding me?”
The Dawson’s Creek star pointed to Biden’s poor approval rating and his age as evidence for why a debate is necessary.
“There’s no debate?” the actor continued. “There’s no debate over an 80-year-old man who, if he lives, would be the oldest sitting president in the history of the country? And if he doesn’t live, has a vice president whose approval rating is worse than his?”
A whopping 82 percent of Americans have said that they are concerned about Biden’s “health and mental acuity,” according to a Yahoo News/YouGov poll published in May. The pollsters found that 64 percent of Americans believe Biden is “too old.” This figure includes 48 percent of Democrats and 69 percent of independents.
MUST WATCH! James Van Der Beek woke up… I wonder how many more in Hollywood think like him, but haven’t stood up yet… pic.twitter.com/Olzk4b137T
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) June 1, 2023
Van Der Beek noted Biden’s “obviously declining mental faculties” and said that the DNC is “openly ignoring, bypassing the will of the people.”
“You are shoehorning your pick and forcing it on the rest of us,” he said. “And don’t tell me that the other candidates aren’t serious.”
So far, Marianne Williamson and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have thrown their hats into the ring for the nomination.
“If there’s no debate, there’s no democracy,” Van Der Beek said. “No primary, no legitimate president.”
An April poll found that 14 percent of voters who backed President Biden are now likely to vote for Kennedy.
“In 2020, Joe Biden received more votes than any other president in U.S. history, yet the poll tells us that those same voters are open to other Democrats to wage a spirited primary,” said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center at the time of the poll’s release. “Kennedy, although a long shot at this point, starts in double digits and can’t be ignored.”
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Supported by 14% of Voters Who Backed President Joe Biden in 2020
While many are outraged over the DNC’s decision, it is common for parties with incumbents running for reelection not to hold primary debates.
The Republican National Committee did not hold any debates before the 2020 election while former President Donald Trump ran for re-election.
The DNC also did not hold debates ahead of the 2012 election when former President Barack Obama was seeking his second term.
