The Ohio Republican Party endorsed Vivek Ramaswamy for governor at its central committee meeting, giving the former presidential candidate another boost in his run for the state office.

The state GOP announced its Friday endorsement of Ramaswamy in a post on social platform X shortly after its central committee voted to favor him over state Attorney General Dave Yost (R).

Ramaswamy, who made a career as an entrepreneur leading a pharmaceuticals company before entering politics, was already a favorite for the Republican nomination with support from President Trump.

Whether the state party would back a candidate in the race seemed uncertain going into the meeting, as two-thirds of the committee members needed to vote in favor of endorsing for the party to do so.

Ramaswamy wrote in a post on X after the vote that he's grateful to receive the endorsement by a "historic" margin of 60 to 3.

"We’re laser focused on growing our Republican voter base & delivering a decisive victory in ‘26," he said. "This isn’t about left vs. right. It’s up vs. down. We’ll work hard to earn every last vote."

Yost, who was not present at the meeting because he was attending a funeral for a retired police officer who was recently killed, reportedly congratulated Ramaswamy via a statement. The campaign also said it would consider its steps forward following the endorsement.

"The Attorney General is going to take a few days to consult with key supporters about the path forward — but the people of Ohio deserve a choice, not a premature coronation of an untested candidate," Yost's campaign manager Emily Hottinger said in a statement.

Ramaswamy was anticipated as a possible candidate for governor for months before he officially entered the race in February and quickly became a favorite after getting endorsements from Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk.

The Ohio native briefly worked with Musk on Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) before stepping aside and launching his bid for governor.

He's also picked up endorsements from several big names within Ohio and nationwide, and early polling has shown him with a clear lead in a Republican primary.

But the field may expand as Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel (R) has signaled he's considering his own campaign. Term-limited Gov. Mike DeWine (R) selected Tressel, a former college football coach, as his second-in-command earlier this year after choosing former Lt. Gov. Jon Husted (R) to fill the open Senate seat left vacant by Vice President Vance.

NBC reported that DeWine was trying to prevent the state party from making an endorsement at its meeting, as one Republican leader told the outlet they believe the governor wants Tressel to run.

DeWine told NBC it is still too early for him to endorse a candidate, as it's not clear who else may be in the race. The primary will not take place for almost a year.

The moves represent another battle within the GOP between the establishment and Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement.

The Ohio party endorsing Ramaswamy didn't come as a major surprise as one party leader said in advance that he had enough votes to get its official support.

Updated at 1:40 p.m. EDT.

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Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) left the door open for a possible 2028 presidential bid, saying in a recent interview that while "of course" the idea has come up, he’s not focused on it currently.

Gallego, who has stirred speculation with an upcoming visit to battleground Pennsylvania, told NBC News that he has received encouragement from donors, organizations and “well-known” Democratic operatives to run.

“Has it ever crossed my mind? F---ing of course, I’m an elected official, it crosses my mind,” he said, calling the question a "land mine."

The junior senator added, “Am I thinking about it right now? Absolutely not.”

Gallego's comments come as he’s set to participate in a town hall Saturday in battleground Bucks County, Pa. The Keystone State, much like Arizona, is a swing state that voted for President Trump in November. The state Democratic Party is hosting the town hall as part of a broader “Fight to Save Medicaid” initiative.

His trip has drawn some attention to him as a possible 2028 candidate as Democrats search for their next clear leader. Gallego was able to win his Senate race in 2024 and outperform former Vice President Kamala Harris despite her more than 5-point loss to Trump.

The senator told NBC that the next presidential race is so distant that it's “not even near the radar of me thinking about doing it.” He also mentioned that his wife is expecting their third child and he’s only been in the Senate for a few months.

“I need to do both jobs well, and those are two very hard jobs," he said. "Being the father is the hardest one.”

Gallego added that Pennsylvanians want to hear from him because they want a message that Democrats can “deliver” and bring back working class voters to win elections.

“I’m the person that has worked those hard jobs and has had to figure out how to make ends meet, how to string a couple paychecks together, to pay rent and everything else like that,” he said in the NBC interview. “And I think people want to hear from Democrats like me.”

The Arizona Democrat is just one of several names that have been floated as possible 2028 Democratic candidates, including Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, JB Pritzker of Illinois, and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan; Sens. Cory Booker (N.J.) and Chris Murphy (Conn.) and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

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Federal judges ruled Thursday that Alabama intentionally discriminated against Black residents when the state disobeyed court orders to draw a second Black-majority congressional district.

A three-judge panel said the congressional map drawn by the 2023 Alabama Legislature violated the Voting Rights Act. The judges, which ruled against the state twice before and put a new map in place for last year’s elections, have permanently blocked Alabama from using the state-drawn map.

The judges said the court does not “diminish the substantial improvements Alabama has made in its official treatment of Black Alabamians in recent decades.

“Yet we cannot reconcile the State’s intentional decision to discriminate in drawing its congressional districts with its position that Alabama has finally closed out its repugnant history of official discrimination involving voting rights,” they added.

The court will now consider whether to place Alabama under Provision 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which would require the state to get federal approval of its congressional plans.

Following the 2020 census, Alabama made six of its seven districts majority white, despite 27 percent of the state’s population being Black.

Though the Supreme Court allowed the map to be used in the 2022 midterms, it also upheld the lower court's findings that the map unlawfully diluted Black votes.

Despite the rulings, the state Legislature refused to redraw the map to include a second congressional district that would allow Black voters to elect the candidate of their choice.

“This record thus leaves us in no doubt that the purpose of the design of the 2023 Plan was to crack Black voters across congressional districts in a manner that makes it impossible to create two districts in which they have an opportunity to elect candidates of their choice, and thereby intentionally perpetuate the discriminatory effects of the 2021 Plan,” the judges said Thursday.

“The Legislature knew what federal law required and purposefully refused to provide it, in a strategic attempt to checkmate the injunction that ordered it,” they wrote.

Plaintiffs in the case told The Associated Press that the ruling is “a testament to the dedication and persistence of many generations of Black Alabamians who pursued political equality at great cost.”

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Former "Meet the Press" moderator and NBC News analyst Chuck Todd knocked former President Biden over what he said was a willingness to prioritize himself over the Democratic Party's success.

"If you're a party man, you worry about your party before yourself," Todd said Thursday while appearing on NewsNation's "On Balance," noting he had previously considered Biden to be a "party man."

"And it's pretty clear the Bidens were always much more focused on themselves than the party," Todd told host Leland Vittert. "They feel personally attacked by these books ... and I agree [going on TV to defend themselves is] not going to help them, but it's the 'now they tell us' syndrome."

Biden appeared on ABC's "The View" earlier Thursday along with former first lady Jill Biden, pushing back on reporting suggesting his mental state was in decline toward the end of his presidency and defending his decision to run for president a second time before eventually dropping out of the race.

“I only dropped out because I didn’t want to have a divided Democratic Party,” Biden said, while his wife later added that the people criticizing his performance or questioning his mental acuity "were not in the White House with us."

The comments came as many Democrats have pushed back against the former president reentering the spotlight.

"It's almost like safe to trash the Bidens now," Todd said. "And it's like, where were you a year ago?"

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Democrats are blasting former President Biden’s reemergence in the spotlight following his interview Thursday on “The View," his second major postpresidency interview.

During the sit-down, which took place alongside former first lady Jill Biden, Biden slammed President Trump’s second administration, saying he’s had “the worst 100 days any president's ever had.” The former president also denied reports of his mental decline during his term and took responsibility for Democratic losses in 2024, telling the show’s hosts, “I was in charge, and he won.”

Yet some Democrats are criticizing Biden’s recent appearances, arguing the former president is becoming a drag on the party as it seeks to rebuild following its widespread losses in 2024.

“Elections are about the future. Every time Joe Biden emerges, we fight an old war,” said Democratic strategist Anthony Coley, who worked for the Biden administration. “Every interview he does provides a contrast to Trump that's just not helpful for the Democratic brand, which needs trusted messengers and fighters who can reach independents and moderates and inspire the base. Joe Biden ain't that.”

Coley said it was “good” Biden took responsibility for the events that led to Trump’s election but questioned whether it mattered going forward.

“Honestly, what good does that do now? Many Democrats — from elected leaders to the party faithful — are just ready to turn the page. I just don’t think he understands how wide and deep this sentiment is,” he said.

Other Democratic critics argue the former president did not go far enough.

One Democratic strategist said Biden needs to "take responsibility for his actions" and “own up to the fact that he caused Democrats to lose.”

“I don't think there's a willingness to cop to the fact that he should never have run again in the first place,” the strategist said. “Why can't he come out and acknowledge that part of this is on him?”

Thursday’s interview with “The View” was his second sit-down interview of the week, with the first airing Tuesday on the BBC. Biden took multiple opportunities to criticize Trump’s foreign policy in his conversation with the British broadcaster, taking particular aim at Trump’s handling of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Some Democrats say Biden would be better suited avoiding sit-down interviews and instead focus on community outreach, much like former President Carter did.

"There is a way for President Biden to build his postpresidency, but this isn't it," said Steve Schale, a longtime Biden ally who ran a pro-Biden super PAC in recent cycles. "I really wish he'd embrace the thing that's been his calling card for 50 years: his humanity."

While Biden focuses on preserving his legacy, Schale said he would take an approach similar to what Carter took in the years following his presidency.

"By the end of his life, we were reminded of the decent and humble nature of the man thanks to his acts, not his words," Schale said. "I really wish Biden would follow a similar path."

"Get out and work in the community. Do ... things that highlight the things his administration did to help people," Schale said. "Let the images of his human interactions and the stories they tell rebuild the brand. That's way more powerful than playing pundit."

The interviews come amid a slew of books detailing the last year of the Biden administration, including accusations his mental acuity was slipping while in office. Biden denied those reports, calling them “wrong.” The former first lady also slammed reporting on Biden’s mental acuity while in office, noting “the people who wrote those books were not in the White House with us.”

A second Democratic strategist predicted the Biden narrative on his mental acuity will not go away and will be something future presidential contenders will have to answer for.

"There's a good chance that the most significant litmus test for any Democrat in the 2028 field will be how and if they admonish Biden for the political judgment in the final 18 months of his political career," the strategist said.

But Biden still has staunch defenders within the Democratic ranks who argue his storied career in politics is needed in the party.

“I thought that was good for Joe Biden to just be honest and open about where things were, and where they are, and where he thinks they very well could be based on his own life experiences,” said Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright, who has spent time with Biden after his administration.

“If you know Joe Biden like I know Joe Biden and have spent time with him post-the presidency like I’ve spent time with him, then you will know that Joe Biden is doing what is still in the best interests of the country,” he continued. “Joe Biden can still be helpful to the country, to the Congress, the Constitution, and the community.”

Seawright said the choice of “The View” for Biden’s first American postpresidency interview was good, given the program’s broad reach.

“I think ‘The View’ is a very captive audience. It’s also a very diverse audience that crosses many sectors of the country,” he said.

But as younger voices become more prominent voices in the party, other Democrats are questioning why the interview was even necessary.

“I don’t know who’s asking for this,” Democratic strategist Jon Reinish said. “I actually think that a lot of people are starting to pay much more attention to a younger generation of Democrats free of baggage and who are finally starting to move the party away from folks who stayed too long at the fair.”

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Democratic strategist James Carville went after Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and those who agree with her, saying "these people are more trouble than they’re worth."

Carville, speaking Wednesday at an event in London, shot back at comments made by Omar seven years ago to Al Jazeera, in which she said the U.S. “should be more fearful of white men across our country because they are actually causing most of the deaths within this country.”

“Sixty-nine percent of the people going to vote are white,” Carville said in comments highlighted by Mediaite. “Of that, 48 and a half are males. So, I don’t know, my rough math is 33 percent.”

“Let’s go out and piss off 33 percent of the people that vote, and that’s a smart strategy. And the people that agree with her, there are people that actually agree with her. And I think this honestly, I think these people are more trouble than they’re worth,” he added while speaking at “Truth Tellers, the Sir Harry Evans Investigative Journalism Summit.”

Omar also told Al Jazeera in 2018 that they should be “profiling, monitoring, and creating policies” combating white men’s radicalization, comments that were resurfaced this year by the right-wing Libs of TikTok account.

Vice President Vance also went after Omar’s past comments in a post on the social platform X earlier this week, referencing a Libs of TikTok post.

“This isn’t just sick; it’s actually genocidal language. What a disgrace this person is,” Vance posted in response to Omar’s comments.

Omar later responded to Vance, saying that during “this nearly 8yr old clip, I am referring to the rise of white nationalism in an annual report issued by the Anti-Defamation League that said white supremacists were responsible for 78 percent of ‘extremist-related murders.’”

Jacklyn Rogers, a spokesperson for Omar, told The Hill: "It is sad to see Carville parrot MAGA talking points over a clip taken out of context from nearly eight years ago. He is falling for Republican-manufactured faux outrage to partake in a targeted smear campaign to gin up hate against the Congresswoman. The Democratic Party is a big tent party. We should be focused on combating Trump instead of attacking our own.”

Updated at 3:57 p.m. EDT

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Former first lady Michelle Obama revealed in a recent interview that she is in therapy as she adjusts to life as an "empty nester" outside of the White House.

"I'm getting that tuneup for this next phase, because I believe this is a whole 'nother phase in life for me, and I now have the wisdom to know, 'Let me go get some coaching while I'm doing it,'" the 61-year-old told life coach Jay Shetty in an episode of his "On Purpose" podcast last week. "I now don't have the excuse of, 'Well, my kids need this, or my husband needs that, or the country needs that.'"

Obama and the former president have two daughters who are now in their 20s. She recently started a lifestyle podcast with her brother, Craig Robinson, who joined her for the interview with Shetty.

Opening up about her journey through different stages of life, she said she's always sought ways to share her challenges — from seeking out minority groups as a Black student on predominantly white Ivy League campuses to joining fellow moms of young children regularly on Saturdays "opening a bottle of champagne and shedding our feelings and our fears and exchanging ideas."

"I believe in the power of sharing your challenges with other people that you trust, and that can come in many forms, and it has for me," Obama said. "I think we need to be coached throughout our lives, and I think therapy is a form of coaching."

"I'm in therapy right now because I'm transitioning. You know, I'm 60 [61] years old. I've finished a really hard thing in my life with my family intact," she added.

Since leaving the White House nearly a decade ago, Obama has addressed rumors of marital strife and discussed a period during the COVID-19 pandemic that she described as "low-grade depression."

She also explained in a recent podcast episode her decision to skip President Trump's second inauguration earlier this year.

"It took everything in my power to not do the thing that was right or that was perceived as right but do the thing that was right for me," she said. "That was a hard thing for me to do."

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Former first lady Jill Biden defended herself amid questions over her husband's fitness for office during the 2024 presidential campaign, saying she didn’t create a “cocoon” around him.

“Naturally, you are your husband's fiercest advocate and a close adviser, and it's been reported that you created a sort of cocoon around him and kind of limited his interactions with the media and others,” co-host Sara Haines said during the Bidens' appearance on "The View" on Thursday. “Do you think you could have been too close to the situation to objectively gauge whether he could handle a full career?”

“I was with Joe day and night. I saw him more than any other person," Jill Biden responded. "I woke up with him. I went to bed at night with him. So I saw him all throughout the day, and I did not create a cocoon around him."

“I mean, you saw him in the Oval Office. You saw him making speeches. He wasn't hiding somewhere. I didn't have him, you know, sequestered in some place,” she added.

She said comparisons to Lady Macbeth and other criticisms were “very hurtful, especially from some of our so-called friends.”

The former first lady was a fierce defender of former President Biden as he faced questions during the 2024 campaign trail about his age and fitness to serve another term, particularly following his shaky debate performance last summer. She's also expressed disappointment with former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), one of the Democrats who voiced reservations about the the 46th president running for reelection.

The Bidens sat down with “The View” on Thursday for their first interview together since leaving the White House, as the former president has been slowly stepping back into the spotlight.

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Most California voters say Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has focused more on a potential bid for the White House than his work in the governor’s mansion, according to a new poll.

In Wednesday's poll from the Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS) at the University of California, Berkeley, 54 percent of respondents said that amid Newsom’s last two years in office, his focus is directed more toward “doing things that might benefit him as a possible candidate for president” rather than “governing California and helping to solve the problems the state is facing.”

Twenty-six percent in the poll disagreed, stating he has focused more on governing than the national stage.

Newsom, an increasingly significant figure in Democratic politics in the past few years, recently launched a podcast that has included prominent supporters of President Trump as guests. The podcast has brought up questions about the governor’s political ambitions as he wraps up his term-limited time in office and has kept the door open to a White House bid.

During the 2024 presidential campaign, questions swirled around Newsom as a possible candidate for the White House, but the governor pushed back on the idea.

Newsom didn’t receive a warm reception from California voters on his job approval in the IGS poll, with 46 percent saying they backed his “handling of his job as Governor overall” and the same percentage saying they were unhappy with the job's outlook in the Golden State.

The IGS poll was conducted April 21-28, featuring 6,201 registered voters and margin of error of 2 percentage points.

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Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s 2024 running mate, Nicole Shanahan, said late Wednesday that someone is “controlling” his decisions after President Trump named physician-turned-wellness influencer Casey Means as his new surgeon general nominee.

In a post on the social platform X, Shanahan called the announcement “strange,” adding that she was “promised” neither Casey Means nor Calley Means would serve at HHS or be appointed to any post if Shanahan supported Kennedy’s confirmation for the Cabinet post.

Calley Means is a special government employee at the HHS, and the siblings are high-profile proponents of Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.

“Yes, it's very strange. Doesn't make any sense,” Shanahan wrote on X, responding to a post that expressed concern that Casey Means, a graduate of Stanford Medical School, has “just about no clinical experience.”

“I was promised that if I supported RFK Jr. in his Senate confirmation that neither of these siblings would be working under HHS or in an appointment (and that people much more qualified would be),” Shanahan said. “I don't know if RFK very clearly lied to me, or what is going on.”

“It has been clear in recent conversations that he is reporting to someone regularly who is controlling his decisions (and it isn't President Trump),” she added.

Kennedy in a Thursday morning post on X called Casey Means a "breath of fresh air" and thanked Trump for her nomination.

"Casey Means was born to hold this job. She will provide our country with ethical guidance, wisdom, and gold-standard medical advice even when it challenges popular orthodoxies," Kennedy said. "She will be a juggernaut against the ossified medical conventions that have helped make our people the sickest in the world at the highest cost per capita."

The Hill reached out to the HHS for comment.

Shanahan also said "there is something very artificial and aggressive" about the siblings, "almost like they were bred and raised Manchurian assets.”

Trump pulled his nomination of Janette Nesheiwat as surgeon general and tapped Means instead on Wednesday.

Nesheiwat’s credentials came into question last month when CBS News reported that records showed she had graduated from the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, and not the University of Arkansas School of Medicine, as had been said when her nomination was announced.

“I am pleased to announce that Dr. Casey Means, will be nominated as our next Surgeon General of the United States of America. Casey has impeccable ‘MAHA’ credentials, and will work closely with our wonderful Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to ensure a successful implementation of our Agenda in order to reverse the Chronic Disease Epidemic, and ensure Great Health, in the future, for ALL Americans,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“Her academic achievements, together with her life’s work, are absolutely outstanding,” he added. “Dr. Casey Means has the potential to be one of the finest Surgeon Generals in United States History. Congratulations to Casey!”

Casey Means is the co-founder of Levels, a health technology company that focuses on tracking health information through devices like continuous glucose monitors.

Updated at noon EDT

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Former President Biden on Thursday denied accusations that his mental acuity took a slide toward the end of his presidency and called reporting that he was urged to drop out of the race over those concerns unfounded.

"They are wrong, there is nothing to sustain that," Biden said during an appearance on ABC's "The View," knocking what he called President Trump's "incompetence" in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic before he took office in 2020.

"I only dropped out because I didn't want to have a divided Democratic Party," he later said.

Former first lady Jill Biden, who joined the former president during Thursday's live interview, said of the reporting on concerns around Biden's mental capacity that "the people who wrote those books were not in the White House with us."

"They didn't see how hard Joe worked," she added.

Biden's mental state, and press coverage of it at the time, has been a hot topic in media and political circles in recent weeks.

Trump's White House has accused mainstream media outlets of turning a blind eye to Biden's decline, while some Washington journalists have argued many in the industry "missed" that story.

But the Bidens on Thursday sought to dismiss those concerns.

"If you look at things today," Jill Biden said, alluding to the first 100 days of Trump's presidency, "give me Joe Biden anytime."

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Former President Biden denied reporting that he advised former Vice President Kamala Harris to allow "no daylight" between her positions and his as she ran for president last fall.

"First of all, I never advised her against that," Biden said during an appearance on ABC's "The View," on Thursday, his first major television interview since President Trump took office earlier this year.

Biden had been asked by co-host Sunny Hostin about reporting by The Hill's Amie Parnes and NBC News's Jonathan Allen laying out how Biden called Harris on the day she was set to debate Trump that evening with some advice.

"Whether she won or lost the election, he thought, she would only harm him by publicly distancing herself from him — especially during a debate that would be watched by millions of Americans," the two journalists wrote in their book “FIGHT: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House,” noting Biden told Harris: “No daylight, kid."

Biden on Thursday told "The View" audience, "I was vice president. I understand the role."

"She was saying she wouldn't change our successes," Biden said of Harris's public comments saying there was nothing she would do differently than Biden, remarks that were used by Republicans as a cudgel in the run up to the election.

"She has to be her own person," Biden said. "And she was. ... She was part of every success we had."

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Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) launched his candidacy for Senate in Georgia, the first of possibly several Republicans officially seeking to oust Sen. Jon Ossoff (D).

“Georgians will have a very simple choice in 2026: do you want a MAGA warrior for you or do you want a trans warrior for they/them? I’m with you. You can guess where Jon Ossoff is. Game on,” Carter wrote Thursday in a post on the social platform X.

Carter’s announcement comes after Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) made a much-anticipated decision against running for Senate in 2026. The popular two-term governor's decision was a blow to Republicans, as he was seen as the strongest opponent against Ossoff.

Without Kemp in the race, attention turns to several possible candidates who may be looking at running including GOP Georgia Reps. Mike Collins, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rich McCormick, and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R).

Carter’s announcement video said Georgia “spoke” in favor of President Trump in the November election, but Ossoff “doesn’t care.” It slammed Ossoff for votes against legislation that would have increased funding for border security and that would have pulled federal funding from schools that transgender girls and women to participate in girls and women's sports.

“Jon Ossoff is on the wrong side. Trump has a warrior in Buddy Carter,” the narrator states before the ad shows Trump praising the congressman. “Buddy helped Trump secure our border and put America first.”

Ossoff, a Democratic senator in a state Trump carried, will be a top target for the GOP in next year’s midterms.

Carter told reporters Georgia needs a senator who will advance Trump's "America First" policies. He acknowledged the primary could become crowded but said he's running on his record.

He said he was waiting for Kemp to make his decision before announcing his own decision.

"I'm for the people of Georgia. I'm for the people who voted for America First policies, and I've been supporting the president ever since I've been up here," he said.

Ossoff's campaign manager Ellen Foster said in a statement that the first-term senator will defeat any Republican challenger he faces.

"While the GOP primary field scrambles to outmaneuver each other and audition for Donald Trump’s support, Senator Ossoff’s campaign is already building the most effective and unstoppable turnout effort in Georgia’s history," Foster said.

The Senate Democrats’ campaign arm was quick to denounce Carter’s candidacy, saying he “is kicking off a messy, divisive primary in Georgia that will expose their flawed candidates and leave them with a damaged nominee.”

The group said in a statement that Ossoff is “a champion for Georgians and we are confident he will hold this seat in 2026.”

Greene, who has said she’s considering a run of her own — as well as a potential gubernatorial bid to replace the term-limited Kemp — said she isn’t worried about a messy primary in response to Carter’s announcement.

“If I were to get in, I’m not concerned about it at all,” she told reporters. “Every single poll shows that I overwhelmingly win.”

Julia Manchester contributed.

Updated at 11:53 a.m. EDT

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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) declined to say Wednesday whether former President Biden should have withdrawn from the 2024 election sooner, saying the Democratic Party’s larger problems have “nothing to do” with that decision.

“Bret, I’m not going back a year,” Sanders told Fox News's Bret Baier in an interview on "Special Report” when asked whether Biden should have “gotten out of that race earlier.”

Sanders said he doesn’t want to relitigate the issue.

“But isn't that a big part of where the Democratic Party is?” Baier responded.

“No, no, it's not,” Sanders said. “It's nothing to do with Biden right now or Kamala Harris.”

Sanders, who caucuses with Senate Democrats, said the fundamental problem Democrats face is appearing not to stand with working-class Americans.

“The question is: What is the fundamental issue in politics? Which side are you on?” he continued. “So, right now, you have massive income and wealth inequality. You have the rich getting richer. Wealthiest people, large corporations control our economy. Billionaires control our political system.”

“The question is: Do you stand with the working class, with the elderly, with the kids, or do you stand with big money?” the two-time former presidential candidate asked.

The line of questioning came after Baier played a clip from Biden’s Monday BBC interview, when the former president said he doesn’t think bowing out of the 2024 race earlier would have changed the outcome of the election.

“I don’t think it would have mattered,” Biden said in the interview.

“We left at a time when we had a good candidate. She was fully funded,” Biden said, referring to Harris, who was elevated to the top of the ticket when he stepped aside and inherited the massive Biden-Harris campaign fund.

Since the 2024 election, Sanders has been vocal in his criticism of both parties and has drawn large crowds with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, which has focused on highlighting wealth inequality and corruption in the Trump administration.

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