James Van Der Beek criticizes DNC for not allowing Biden debate
Actor James Van Der Beek criticized the Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Wednesday over its decision not to sponsor any primary debates with President Biden ahead of the 2024 election.
“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 in a TikTok video on Memorial Day. “Are you f------ kidding me?”
“There’s no debate?” he 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?”
Van Der Beek, best known for his role in Dawson’s Creek, suggested that Biden has “obviously declining mental faculties” and accused the DNC of “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.”
Self-help author Marianne Williamson and prominent anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have both announced bids for the Democratic nomination.
Van Der Beek's wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, has previously expressed anti-vaccine views on social media, according to Rolling Stone.
“If there’s no debate, there’s no democracy," the actor added in Wednesday's video. "No primary, no legitimate president."
A recent CNN poll showed Biden with 60 percent support among Democratic voters, compared to Kennedy’s 20 percent and Williamson’s 8 percent.