Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein said the party had “betrayed its base” and that party leaders needed to step down to “replace them with a suitable opposition party”.
“Democrats have really lost credibility. They are seen as being bought by money… Their primaries are rigged and power is top-down.” Stein told Barron's on wednesday. “Democrats have betrayed their base. I don't think they'll come back. Economic inequality is real. People are tired of Democrats. They need to get back up and allow the right opposition.”
Stein's comments come in the wake of Harris Vice's defeat in the 2024 presidential election, where President-elect Trump defeated Harris Vice in all seven battleground states.
The third-party candidate silenced criticism that her presence helped President Trump capture Michigan, one of the battleground states with a large Arab-American and Muslim-American population.
“Mr. Harris lost that vote in the first place. In many ways, we were Mr. Trump's competitor,” she told the magazine on Wednesday.
Democrats have expressed concern about Stein's presence on early election ballots, especially since 2016 when she was criticized by the party for being a spoiler in battleground states. In the same year's general election, Trump defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Mr. Stein touted the party's work in Dearborn, Michigan, and other areas in battleground states. The Israeli conflict in Gaza and Lebanon's Hezbollah were among the top issues of Mr. Stein's campaign. Dearborn is the country's largest city with an Arab majority.
Trump received 42% of the votes cast in Dearborn, according to unofficial numbers. result Announced by the city. Harris had 36% and Stein 18%. Overall, Trump won Michigan.
“We got 22 percent of the vote in Dearborn, which is great,” Stein said. “There's a real movement happening here in Dearborn. It's about real allyship with the Muslim American community. It feels like we're going to continue to build on that.” ”
Stein said President Trump is “likely to disappoint his supporters” with his approach to the Middle East situation.
“Donald Trump has no clue about the causes of the conflict here. This conflict is not going away. Trump doesn't understand getting involved in diplomacy. It's scary.” she said.
