The White House gave a brief congratulations Wednesday to entrepreneur Jason Palmer for handing President Joe Biden his sole primary loss on Super Tuesday and potentially his only primary loss of the 2024 election cycle.
Palmer took home victory in the territory of American Samoa Tuesday night, though the contest featured fewer than 100 total ballots. Of the 91 votes cast, Palmer pulled in 56%, compared to 44% for the president.
Asked during Wednesday’s White House press briefing if Biden had called Palmer to congratulate him, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded simply, “We congratulate Jason Palmer on his win last night.”
Palmer had previously held executive positions at Microsoft, Kaplan, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and he entered the race claiming that the country is “long overdue for a president who will be an advocate for American Samoa.”
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American Samoa voters cannot cast ballots for president in November’s general election and similarly crowned a surprise winner in the 2020 Democratic primary. Back then, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg won that primary after spending roughly $1 billion on his self-funded campaign.
You can watch Wednesday’s briefing in full below.
