'No primary, no legitimate president': Actor James Van Der Beek calls out Democrats for not holding primary debates, calls them 'back room' decision-makers

Actor James Van Der Beek criticized Democrats on Memorial Day for the party's decision to not sponsor debates for their election primaries.

The 46-year-old, who has starred in shows such as "Dawson's Creek" and "How I Met Your Mother," posted a viral TikTok video lambasting Democratic office holders for not sponsoring any debates and disrespecting those who are "willing to die to preserve democracy."

"This is not a democracy by the people," Van Der Beek began. "This is a democracy by them. For who? Big banks? Big tech, big pharma, big government big whatever," he asked.

After President Biden announced in April 2023 that he would seek re-election, it was widely reported that the Democratic National Committee would not sponsor any debates. The Washington Post reported that the party said it would support Biden's re-election but that that President faced no serious opposition.

"How is this democracy?" Van Der Beek continued. "And how is anybody in the DNC, right, today going to post about thanking our troops and thanking the families who have made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our democracy and our way of freedom."

"I am grateful for them but, any member of the DNC who is going to think about posting that today... stop, think, and do your f***ing job before you start posting about grateful you are. There are people out there who are willing to die to preserve democracy because you are not preserving democracy right now," the actor bellowed.

The Connecticut native then pointed to recent polling numbers that he felt further justified a public debate.

"You are shoehorning your pick and forcing it on the rest of us. And don't tell me the other candidates aren't serious because one of them is polling at 7%, the other one is at 19%," he cited. "That is a quarter of the vote who already thinks at the very least there is some debate about who ought to be president."

"There's no debate, there's no democracy. No primary, no legitimate president," Van Der Beek stated.

Recent polling numbers from RealClearPolitics indeed reflect the actor's assertions, which he also updated on-screen. A CNN poll from May 17-20, 2023, had Robert F. Kennedy Jr. polling at 20% and Marianne Williamson trailing with 8%.

Compiled data from multiple outlets have President Biden's favorability slightly below 60% for the Democratic nomination.

The TikTok video closed with another series of questions about a group of "back room" operators who make the country's decisions.

"How do we have a government, how do we have democracy if we're letting a small, little back room of people make all the important decisions for us?" he asked. "That's not a democracy, and it doesn't work. Because y'all have been wrong about a lot these last couple years in that back room. No debate no democracy."

"Happy Memorial Day," the video concluded.

Editor's note: This article has been update to change one of the names included in it. The original name was listed as John F. Kennedy Jr. It has been corrected to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!