Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine expects former President Donald Trump to win the 2024 presidential contest and says he is "OK with that" outcome but does not plan to vote for the Republican figure.

While Biden's debate performance has been widely panned, Golden — who has been serving in Congress since 2019 — suggested that the president's poor performance was not surprising.

'I reject the premise.'

"After the first presidential debate, lots of Democrats are panicking about whether President Joe Biden should step down as the party's nominee. Biden's poor performance in the debate was not a surprise. It also didn't rattle me as it has others, because the outcome of this election has been clear to me for months: While I don't plan to vote for him, Donald Trump is going to win. And I'm OK with that," Golden wrote in an opinion piece.

"There are winners and losers in every election. Democrats' post-debate hand-wringing is based on the idea that a Trump victory is not just a political loss, but a unique threat to our democracy. I reject the premise. Unlike Biden and many others, I refuse to participate in a campaign to scare voters with the idea that Trump will end our democratic system," he noted. "This election is about the economy, not democracy. And when it comes to our economy, our Congress matters far more than who occupies the White House."

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who served in Congress as a Republican, endorsed Biden for re-election, saying that he was making the move "because of my unwavering support for democracy."

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