Even though President Joe Biden and GOP front-runner Donald Trump emerged as Super Tuesday winners as expected, the biggest primary election day of the cycle did include a few surprises.
Perhaps the most notable was Biden’s loss to a virtually unknown candidate in the caucus held by Democratic voters in American Samoa. Entrepreneur Jason Palmer beat the incumbent by a 56% to 44% margin, marking the president’s first outright primary defeat of his re-election campaign.
BREAKING: Joe Biden has lost the American Samoa primary.
A guy named Jason Palmer, who has less than 4k followers on X, beat him! pic.twitter.com/G1RqaIpIk3
— Alec Lace (@AlecLace) March 6, 2024
The result caught many mainstream media personalities off guard, including Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier.
“We just have a call now in American Samoa,” he told viewers on Tuesday. “President Biden will lose to Jason Palmer, a self-described entrepreneur and investor. He is going to win the American Samoa Democratic caucus. This marks President Biden’s first loss in the 2024 primaries. Palmer takes four delegates; President Biden takes two.”
Baier echoed the reaction of many others who witnessed the breaking results, concluding: “I don’t even know who Jason Palmer is. But he is now the winner.”
Palmer reacted to the news by acknowledging his obvious long-shot status in the race and indicating that the caucus victory even came as a surprise to him.
“I found out that I had won because my phone started blowing up with friends and campaign staffers texting me,” he said.
Despite picking up a handful of delegates, Palmer said he understood the political realities from the very beginning of his campaign.
“When I started this race, I knew there was a 99% chance that Joe Biden would win,” he explained.
Palmer, 52, stated at the outset of his campaign that Biden’s age was a major factor in his decision to throw his hat in the ring.
“It’s super important that the next president of the United States be someone who really understands young people,” he said. “We need to pass the torch to a new generation of Americans.”
In a social media post after the results were confirmed, Palmer thanked those who showed up to support him.
“Honored to announce my victory in the American Samoa presidential primary,” he wrote. “Thank you to the incredible community for your support. This win is a testament to the power of our voices. Together, we can rebuild the American Dream and shape a brighter future for all.”
