Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker remains steadfast in his support of President Biden despite concerns about the chief executive’s fitness.
Pritzker was in front of the media for the first time Tuesday since he met with other governors and Biden last week at the White House. He shared what his message to Biden was.
“I said, ‘You need to go out there and talk to the American public more,’” Pritzker said. “It was important. I think they took too long. I think he admitted this, to after the debate for him to really go out and do press that would get national attention. I know they did rallies along the way, but it’s important for him to answer questions and talk about the issues.”
Pritzker said the president was “fully engaged.”
“And again, the president did a great job of answering questions throughout that meeting,” he said. “Listen, Joe Biden is our nominee. I am for Joe Biden. I’ve been campaigning for Joe Biden.”
Biden’s poor debate performance against former President Donald Trump last month sparked a flurry of concerns from Democrats, including US Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), who said Biden should step down. Pritzker understood the concerns.
“In the end, everybody understands that we’re pulling together to put our party and our party’s nominee and our issues over the line,” he said.
Other Democrats aren’t so sure Biden will persist amid questions on his physical and mental fitness. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told Axios “we’ll see” if Biden is the future for Democrats. Pritzker wouldn’t speculate.
“What I can tell you is I’m not engaging in any hypotheticals,” Pritzker said. “You can see that I’m all in for Joe Biden. Joe Biden is going to be the nominee of the party.”
The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to begin Aug. 19 in Chicago.