NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones is one of nearly 200 mayors nationwide who took part in a phone call with President Joe Biden this week as the incumbent attempts to fend off calls for him to stop his race for a second term.
The Biden campaign says the focus of the phone call, which also featured Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, surrounded the stakes of the upcoming election with leaders from the Democratic Mayors Association.
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Jones, who spoke with 13News Now on Thursday, said he still supports Biden and provided insight into the conversation with the president.
“He always says, ‘If I need to get the job done, I’m going to go to a mayor,” Jones said.
On Thursday, Biden held a televised news conference for the first time since a presidential debate on June 27 sparked concerns about his re-election bid.
Since then, multiple federal Democratic lawmakers have publicly called for Biden to withdraw from the race amid growing concerns about his chances of winning.
“He acknowledged that the debate was a bad night for him. He did not shy away from that,” Jones said. “It was the first thing that he said.”
We’re just under four months from the 2024 presidential election, and this is perhaps the most challenging stretch of Biden’s political career.
During the phone call, Jones said Biden expressed how critical the support mayors will be in this race for the White House, and the president is calling on local leaders to tell people what the Biden-Harris administration has done for their communities.
“That administration has done wonders for the City of Newport News,” Jones said.
The mayor said he’s focusing on the Biden administration’s policies over the last three years, rather than what happened on the debate stage. He cites the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act and tax credits on Virginia’s economy, which CNBC ranked the best state for business this week. Jones also mentioned the local impact of millions of dollars in federal funding to Newport News.
“Those ARPA funds, those almost $70 million, we are using that on a daily basis in Newport News and that is increasing the quality of life for all residents,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what party you are.”
Jones echoes the sentiments of Virginia House Speaker Don Scott and other key state Democrats standing firm in their support of Biden. Jones recalled meeting Biden and shaking his hand in the Oval Office and later receiving a phone call from the president after a shooting at Richneck Elementary School in 2023.
“He was one of the people that called me and was able to check on me,” said Jones. “And so what I will tell you is I do not shy away from a fight, and I am not going to turn my back on my friends.”