California Governor Gavin Newsom has said he has no intention of running for president if Democrats hold an open convention in Chicago next month.
The question arose in the wake of President Biden’s lackluster performance in a television interview on Friday and a disastrous debate showing last month.
Both have left many Democrats with widespread doubts about their ability to campaign or govern effectively.
Several prominent Democrats are now desperately looking for possible alternatives should Biden, 81, drop out of the race.
But Newsom dismissed any suggestion that he might be the one to take her place in response to a reporter’s questions.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has said he has no intention of running for president if Democrats hold an open convention in Chicago next month.
Democrats have publicly expressed concerns following President Biden’s performance in the debate
—No, I mean it’s not even… —Newsom began.
“Not at all?” the journalist asked.
“To me, it’s the hypothesis that stands in the way of progress in terms of advancing this candidacy,” Newsom continued.
“It’s a legitimate question, but it’s exactly what the other party wants us to do: have this internal fight, and I think it’s extremely unhelpful. I said that literally a second after the debate. It was my first public comment. So I’ve been consistent with that belief, not just privately, but publicly.”
Biden made it through the 22-minute ABC News interview on Friday without any major gaffes, but he appeared unlikely to fully quell concerns about his age and fitness for another four years and his ability to defeat Donald Trump in November.
The interview left Biden in a standoff with a not insignificant faction of his party four months before Election Day and just weeks before the Democratic National Convention.
Last week, Newsom offered a spirited defense of Biden, telling Democrats in Michigan that he believes the president has the record and stamina to win a second term.
Newsom’s speech at a local Independence Day picnic is part of an effort by Biden’s reelection campaign and the White House to reassure party activists and the broader electorate that Biden is up to the job.
Last week, Newsom offered a spirited defense of Biden, saying he believes the president has the record and stamina to win a second term.
Newsom made his pro-Biden speech at a local Independence Day picnic in Michigan
“This is a serious moment in American history. It’s not complicated,” Newsom told Van Buren County Democrats at a Fourth of July picnic. “What I need to convince you of is not to be fatalistic, not to fall prey to all this negativity. … Do more. Worry less.”
Newsom’s request highlights the precarious balance between Democrats and party lieutenants like the 56-year-old governor.
Newsom has long been a top supporter of Biden’s campaign and was among the governors who endorsed the president after a private session at the White House on Wednesday.
But Newsom himself is among those mentioned as possible replacements if Biden steps aside and allows for an open convention when Democratic delegates meet in Chicago next month.
The governor has continued to dodge questions about possible outcomes, including a question about whether he would support Vice President Kamala Harris, his fellow Californian, for the nomination if Biden drops out of the race.
“I don’t even like to play with hypotheticals, because last night was about dispelling any doubt or ambiguity,” he said, referring to Biden’s session with Democratic governors.
“And then we start running in different directions, zigzagging and doing all this kind of speculation. And that hinders progress.”
Newsom has long been a top Biden campaign surrogate and was among the governors who endorsed the president after a private session at the White House on Wednesday. That pair is expected to run in November 2023.
Newsom acknowledged it had been a “tough few weeks” and admitted he had to scrap planned talking points when he faced reporters in Atlanta after the debate.
But he said Biden reassured him and other Democratic governors last Wednesday at the White House, where the president acknowledged his failure but expressed his determination to win his rematch with Trump.
“That was the Joe Biden I remember from two weeks ago. That was the Joe Biden I remember from two years ago,” Newsom said. “That’s the Joe Biden I hope to re-elect as president of the United States, and I mean it.”
According to three people familiar with the meeting, Biden acknowledged to the governors that he needs to get more sleep and limit evening events so he can go to bed earlier and be fit for work.
Newsom did not address those explanations during his 15-minute remarks. He later told reporters that Biden referred to the late nights “with a smile on his face.”
‘It was more of a rhetorical framework of just being fit and rested, because I was burning blood on both sides. “That was about 10 days ago (before the debate) and I think that’s what he was mulling over,” Newsom said. “It wasn’t a literal, ‘at 8 o’clock I’m going to do things differently,’ it was more of a figurative thing.”
Newsom said it’s good when a “president recognizes that he’s human,” adding that people are “reading too much between the lines” of what Biden said about his agenda.
Despite the governor’s confidence, top Democrats remain concerned about whether Biden can bounce back politically.
Joe Biden is seen during the first presidential debate last month, raising concerns about whether he is the best candidate to run for a second term in November.
The president’s advisers and allies agree that the next few days are crucial as Biden plans a visible and busy schedule that could stem any free fall in public trust or further solidify voter concerns that he is too old for another term.
On Friday, Biden campaigned in Wisconsin, a key battleground he won in 2020, before sitting down for an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that failed to calm fears about Biden’s suitability as he gave long, confusing and nonsensical answers to many questions.
Biden rambled at times during the interview, which ABC said aired in its entirety and without edits.
At one point, he began explaining his debate performance, then veered into a New York Times poll, then pivoted to the lies Trump told during the debate. Biden also referred to the “red wave” of the midterm elections as something that would happen in 2020, rather than 2022.
Asked how he could turn the tide of the race, Biden argued that one key would be large, energetic rallies like the one he held Friday in Wisconsin. When reminded that Trump typically draws larger crowds, the president lashed out at his opponent.
An interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that failed to calm fears about Biden’s suitability as he gave long, confusing and nonsensical answers to many questions.
“Trump is a pathological liar,” Biden said, accusing him of botching the federal response to the COVID pandemic and failing to create jobs. “Have you ever seen anything Trump has done that has benefited anyone else and not him?”
Biden plans to hold a full news conference during the NATO summit in Washington next week.
Newsom, meanwhile, has sought to urge party faithful to embrace Biden’s record and values.
“I believe in this man. I believe in his character. I believe he’s been one of the most transformative presidents in our collective lifetime,” Newsom said.
“We’re very good at focusing on what’s wrong and not celebrating what’s right.”
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