Indian-origin Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna, who defended former US President Joe Biden during the 2024 campaign, admitted on Sunday that he was wrong to support Biden’s decision to run for re-election.Khanna said, “I made a mistake,” in judging Biden’s readiness for another term. However, the lawmaker insisted there was no cover-up regarding Biden’s mental and physical decline before the election.Speaking to Jonathan Karl on ABC News’ This Week, Khanna said while Biden had a strong record, those around him should explain their role in pushing the re-election bid.“I don’t think it was a cover-up … but I do think that the advisers and people close to Joe Biden owe an explanation … What I don’t think the Democratic Party can do is just say, ‘Let’s talk about the future. Let’s move past this,'” he said.Khanna was among those who had defended Biden’s physical and mental capacity to serve a second term. But on Sunday, he changed his stance, saying, “Look I made a mistake … you have to own up before you can move forward.”Even as he admitted his mistake, Khanna praised Biden’s time in office, pointing to his work on economic recovery after Covid, clean energy investments, and boosting American manufacturing.“He’s had a remarkable life. He showed a lot of resilience,” Khanna said. “I still think Joe Biden has a lot to be proud of in his record. The CHIPS Act to bring semiconductors back, the Inflation Reduction Act to set up clean tech, the fact that we got out of COVID in the economy and had a strong economic recovery. And he has had a lot of resilience in his life. That doesn’t mean, though, that he made the right decision to seek a second term.”Khanna also spoke about the future of the Democratic Party, saying he was focused on helping the party win back the House of Representatives and connect with working-class voters.“I’m focused on getting the House back. All my travels are in the Republican swing districts … I’m focused on a Democratic Party really having a working-class economic agenda. I call it ‘economic patriotism,'” he said.Khanna also showed unexpected support for US President Donald Trump’s work to make a nuclear deal with Iran and send aid to Gaza.“I appreciate that he’s trying to get peace there. Look, I supported President Obama when he did the deal with Iran, and those of us who supported that should support President Trump. I’m also glad that he’s speaking out about getting aid into Gaza.”Furthermore, Khanna made it clear that he isn’t thinking about a presidential run in 2028.
