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Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, admitted that President Donald Trump is going to win the presidential election in November, opposing leaders in his party who claim democracy is at risk.
The Democratic congressman shared the comments during an op-ed for The Bangor News on Tuesday.
“Biden’s poor performance in the debate was not a surprise. It also didn’t rattle me as it has others, because the outcome of this election has been clear to me for months: While I don’t plan to vote for him, Donald Trump is going to win. And I’m OK with that,” Golden wrote.
The congressman also argued against the claim that a Trump win will be a “threat” to democracy.
“Democrats’ post-debate hand-wringing is based on the idea that a Trump victory is not just a political loss, but a unique threat to our democracy. I reject the premise. Unlike Biden and many others, I refuse to participate in a campaign to scare voters with the idea that Trump will end our democratic system,” Golden added.
The Maine Democrat later called out those using scare tactics about the end of democracy when opposing Trump.
“I urge everyone — voters, elected officials, the media, and all citizens — to ignore the chattering class’s scare tactics and political pipedreams,” he wrote. “We don’t need party insiders in smoke-filled back rooms to save us. We can defend our democracy without them.”
Golden’s words also come as Biden addressed his debate performance during a private fundraiser, claiming that he almost fell asleep on stage due to exhaustion.
“I decided to travel around the world a couple of times … shortly before the debate … I didn’t listen to my staff … and then I almost fell asleep on stage,” Biden said, according to the White House press pool’s statement.
Despite Biden’s claim, the president spent the entire week leading up to the week at his home in Delaware. His daily schedule reportedly started at 11 a.m. and included daily naps, according to The New York Times. The travels he noted occurred over a week before the debate.
The debate concerns have also included calls for another Democratic candidate, though the Biden campaign insists the president has no plans to suspend his efforts for a second term.
