Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that if President Joe Biden decided to leave the race, it was “unrealistic” to think anyone but Vice President Kamala Harris would be the nominee.
Partial transcript as follows:
RADDATZ: Do you think those who are calling him to step – calling on him to step aside are, in effect, weakening the candidate if he does stay?
KHANNA: I don’t – look, I don’t believe that. I believe in a robust democracy. I think the – if the president of the United States can’t handle criticism from a few members of Congress or senators, then he doesn’t – he shouldn’t be president.
You remember Donald Trump ran against the whole party in 2016. You have to have an iron will to be president of the United States. And you have to be willing to have – believe in your visions, believe in the voters. And I think what Joe Biden is saying is, he brought factories back to America, 150 billion of manufacturing investment, compared to 70 billion under Donald Trump’s terms. He knows how to reindustrialize this country. He is saying he knows how to bring rents down. He is saying he knows how to have a bold vision for the working class in expanding Social Security. And he has that right vision. And he believes that vision is going to win. That’s the only reason to run for president or not, do you have the right vision for the right moment for the country.
RADDATZ: I – I just want to ask you, if he does decide to step aside, would you like to see an open convention?
KHANNA: Martha, I think it’s moot. I mean if he made that decision – I mean the vote is on August 7th. I believe that the vice president would win that vote. I don’t think you’re going to see many people challenge her. I mean these are Biden-Harris delegates. It’s not an open primary. I think if it were an open primary, there should be many candidates.
But the idea that in two weeks someone not on the national stage is going to be able to put together a majority of Biden and Harris delegates I just think is unrealistic.
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