A moderate Democrat who briefly ran against President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination this past year is the latest member of his party to praise President-elect Donald Trump’s effort to bring in similar voices and figures to his incoming administration.
In fact, Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) said on Friday that he’d consider accepting some kind of post within Trump’s White House.
During an interview with NewsNation, where he weighed in on the outcome of Trump’s historic and resounding victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, Phillips said, “I am not a big fan of the president himself, but I understand the MAGA movement. I understand why people are angry.”
As Trump announced numerous nominations for top Cabinet positions recently, Phillips decided to enter the race to change the dynamics in Washington, saying Thursday, “If there is a job that could help the country and that my skillset would be useful for — anybody should consider that.”
“I understand why this federal government needs to be reformed,” he continued. “But then do it with people with competency and integrity to do it.”
He added: “If we come to a point where no Democrat would want to serve in a Republican administration and conversely, we’re limiting 50% of the universe of potential appointees, and that’s what I’m trying to overcome.”
WATCH:
Democratic Congressman Dean Phillips says he is open to working in the Trump administration.
“I actually support an office of government efficiency, for gosh sakes it’s long overdue. Our debt is out of control.”
“If there’s a job that can help the country and that my skill set… pic.twitter.com/5S3ovvdtnm
— End Tribalism in Politics (@EndTribalism) November 15, 2024
Phillips isn’t the only Democrat eyeing a place in the incoming administration. Several Democrats who are disillusioned with their party have already become influential figures in Trumpworld, the Washington Examiner reported.
SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who had voted Democratic for years, admitted that his support for limited government and free markets led him to endorse Trump in this election cycle. The president-elect appointed Musk to help lead the Department of Government Efficiency, which aims to reduce bureaucratic waste and inefficiency.
Phillips praised the new office, adding during his comments Thursday, “For gosh sakes, it’s long overdue. Our debt is out of control.”
Also, Tulsi Gabbard is a former Democratic congresswoman from uber-liberal Hawaii who has since denounced her former party as moving too far left and has been tapped by Trump to become his director of national intelligence. Gabbard, an Army National Guard and Army Reserve officer, first became an Independent after an unsuccessful bid to become the Democratic Party nominee in 2020 but recently became a Republican.
She has since labeled Democrats the “anti-freedom” party of war, censorship, open border, and poverty.
Meanwhile, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. initially ran for president as a Democrat, seeking to challenge President Joe Biden during the primaries. His name is eponymous with Democratic Party politics dating back to the 1960s.
But after accusing his party of manipulating the primary rules to protect Biden from competition, Kennedy announced he would run as an independent. Later, he dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump, stating he trusted the GOP leader more than the Democratic Party to protect free speech, end the war in Ukraine, and address the chronic disease epidemic. Trump has since nominated his former rival to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
Similar to Kennedy’s experience, Phillips launched a Democratic presidential challenge to Biden last October, but he also argued that party leaders blocked meaningful competition to the incumbent president. He wound up suspending his campaign in March and endorsed Biden anyway.