RNC chair reacts to 'Dawson's Creek' actor slamming DNC for evading primary debates: Voters are 'very unhappy'

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Ronna McDaniel: I want all presidential candidates on the debate stage

RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel on the Republican presidential primary heating up and why she supports all candidates debating 

Democrats have garnered sharp criticism surrounding the 2024 election, with Biden not yet holding any campaign events as the Democratic National Committee (DNC) aims to avoid primary debates between him and other far-left hopefuls. 

Actor James Van Der Beek, who is known for his roles in "Dawson’s Creek" and "Varsity Blues," became an outspoken critic after he posted a viral TikTok video shaming the DNC for evading debates. 

Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel reacted to the now-viral clip, warning Americans are very "unhappy" that Biden is hiding from the media, and the same COVID-era strategy won't prevail in 2024. 

DEMOCRATS RIP DNC FOR NOT HOLDING 2024 PRIMARY DEBATES: ‘ROBS THE VOTERS’

"Biden could do that during COVID, right? We knew he was hiding in the basement. He was intentionally avoiding the American people. I don't think he can do that going into 2024," she said during "America's Newsroom" Wednesday. "That's clearly a strategy. He hasn't held a single campaign event since announcing. He hasn't gone to any of the battleground states and met with voters." 

"He hides from the press. The press has allowed him to do that," she continued. "The mainstream media, of course, Fox doesn't allow that to happen. I think the voters are very unhappy."

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Biden has received sharp backlash for evading the 2024 campaign trail since announcing his re-election bid back in April despite dismal polling. 

And even though his rivals, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and spiritual adviser Marianne Williamson, have thrown their hat into the ring, the DNC plans to forego any primary debates. 

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The decision prompted outrage from many critics, including Van Der Beek. 

"I mean, what the hell? How is this a democracy?" Van Der Beek said in a viral TikTok filmed on Memorial Day with over 49,500 likes. 

"I cannot get over the fact that the Democratic National Committee is saying there will not be a debate to decide the nominee for president. Are you f---ing kidding me? There’s no debate?" Van Der Beek said. 

"This guy has obviously declining mental faculties," the actor said. "You’re putting him up in front of a podium with flashcards telling him who to call on and what the questions are going to be. And you’re telling us there’s no debate? What about the will of the people?"

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Williamson and others decried the lack of debates, although it is common for the party in power to avoid primary elections when in control of the White House.

Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was pressed on Biden's campaign plan Tuesday, saying she was "not going to comment" on his absence from the trail. 

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"It's been more than a month since the re-election announcement," Fox News' White House Correspondent Peter Doocy said to Jean-Pierre. "Is President Biden going to hold a campaign event ever?"

"So I will say this to you, Peter, as you know, we follow the rule of law here. We believe in following the rule of law," she responded. 

Doocy proceeded to press her on his schedule details, but she remained firm in dodging the question. 

"I'm just not going to comment from here on [the] 2024 reelection," she said. 

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McDaniel noted, Wednesday, that Biden's strategy to avoid the American people is not a good one leading up to November 2024. 

"To have a president hole up and refuse to address the American people and talk to them, I think is not a good strategy," McDaniel said. "And when you see Republicans, they're all over there in Iowa or New Hampshire, they're in South Carolina, they're in Nevada. All of our candidates are crisscrossing the country, and they're talking to real Americans."

Fox News' Houston Keene and Jeffrey Clark contributed to this report.