- Democratic presidential candidate Jason Palmer shocked the country Tuesday night by beating President Joe Biden in American Samoa’s caucus
- Palmer appeared on CNN and said he never actually traveled to the South Pacific Island, instead engaging with voters there virtually
- He said he planned to stay in the race and take a tour of the border ahead of the Arizona primary while also encouraging Biden to drop out
Democratic presidential candidate Jason Palmer shocked the country by beating President Joe Biden in American Samoa’s caucus Tuesday night, robbing the sitting president of a clean sweep of the Super Tuesday primaries.
Palmer, a Baltimore-based tech education entrepreneur, revealed on CNN after his astonishing win – beating Biden by 11 votes in the 91 person election – that he never even traveled to the South Pacific island, instead engaging with voters virtually.
In the interview he also encouraged Biden, 81, to step down and pass the torch on to the younger generation.
The 52-year-old said that he planned to stay in the race, focusing on Arizona’s March 19 primary, and would make a trip to the border.
‘I didn’t actually fly to American Samoa,’ Palmer said, telling CNN’s Laura Coates that he was indeed ‘surprised’ by the upset. ‘I actually did multiple virtual town halls and spoke with the nationals there because, you may not know, but people in American Samoa are not necessarily automatically Americans citizens.’
Jason Palmer is interviewed Tuesday night at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C. after his shock win in the American Samoa caucus, costing President Joe Biden a clean sweep of the Super Tuesday Democratic primaries
![CNN's Laura Coates (left) interviewed little-known Democratic presidential hopeful Jason Palmer (right) who stunned the nation - and prompted a lot of Googling - by winning the American Samoa caucus during Super Tuesday's races](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/06/07/82097451-13162795-image-a-3_1709710153106.jpg)
CNN’s Laura Coates (left) interviewed little-known Democratic presidential hopeful Jason Palmer (right) who stunned the nation – and prompted a lot of Googling – by winning the American Samoa caucus during Super Tuesday’s races
Palmer said he listened to their concerns and shared ideas he had about fixing education, healthcare and climate change.
‘As a new candidate, it’s actually very difficult to break through,’ he conceded.
Like Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips, another Biden challenger, Palmer said he was in the race with the hope that Biden would work for the nomination – or drop out.
”The most important thing that we can do as Democrats is defeat Donald Trump at the polls this November. Part of why I entered the race was to make sure that Biden campaigns vigorously,’ Palmer said.
Palmer said he had campaigned in other early primary states including New Hampshire and Nevada, which held primaries in January and February, and in Colorado, another Super Tuesday state.
‘And the Republicans are out in full force,’ he warned. ‘If we don’t campaign equally vigorously we’re going to lose in November. When people say we’re sleepwalking into a Trump election, it’s for real.’
Palmer said he was running to energize young voters and would focus on picking up support from the center-left and the center-right.
‘If Joe Biden’s just talking about Donald Trump and he’s just talking about foreign policy and foreign wars, that’s not going to win in November. You got to have a clear, positive agenda,’ he argued.
![Like President Joe Biden did last week, Jason Palmer said on CNN that he planned a border trip shortly as he vies for delegates in the Arizona Democratic primary later this month](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/06/08/82097469-13162795-image-a-13_1709712395815.jpg)
Like President Joe Biden did last week, Jason Palmer said on CNN that he planned a border trip shortly as he vies for delegates in the Arizona Democratic primary later this month
![Presidential candidate Jason Palmer said in an interview with CNN that 81-year-old President Joe Biden should drop out and pass the torch to the younger generation](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/06/08/82099123-13162795-image-a-17_1709712642768.jpg)
Presidential candidate Jason Palmer said in an interview with CNN that 81-year-old President Joe Biden should drop out and pass the torch to the younger generation
Palmer then respectfully suggested Biden drop out.
‘So what I would recommend to President Biden is, first of all, I honor you for your 50 years of tremendous service to our country, I do think think it’s time to pass the torch to the next generation of Americans,’ he said.
‘Whether that be me, whether that be governors like Gretchen Whitmer, Jared Polis, governor of California Gavin Newsom,’ Palmer continued. ‘There’s many younger people who are ready to take that torch, who are great leaders in our party and make sure that Donald Trump doesn’t win in November.’
‘I think that Joe Biden can be like George Washington, be that transitional figure, pass it on to the next generation,’ Palmer added. ‘And that would be the best thing he could do, retire as a great American statesman.’
Washington gave up his presidency after two terms, setting a precedent for more than 100 years.
Biden won the Democratic primary in all 15 states where voters headed to the polls for Super Tuesday and has faced very little competition from Phillips and self-help guru Marianne Williamson, his two more well known challengers.
He’s had more trouble with Democrats voting ‘uncommitted,’ a protest vote over his support for Israel while civilians are being killed in Gaza.
Palmer told Coates he planned to continue running in the Democratic primary, as less than half of the states have voted.
Arizona, he said, would be next.
The presidential hopeful said he would be releasing a 12-page white paper on how to solve the border crisis, which would include the hiring of more immigration judges to assess asylum claims, among other ideas.
‘I look forward to going to the border, campaigning vigorously in Arizona and showing the American people we can have a path forward on immigration,’ Palmer said.