What Gavin Newsom said when asked point blank if he would run for president after Biden's interview flop
California Governor Gavin Newsom has said he has no intention of making a run for the presidency should the Democrats run an open convention in Chicago next month.
The question came in the wake of President Biden's lackluster performance in a television interview on Friday and a disastrous debate performance last month.
Both have left many Democrats with widespread doubts about his ability to campaign or govern effectively.
A number of prominent Democrats are now desperately looking for possible alternatives should 81-year-old Biden exit the race.
But Newsom brushed aside any suggestions that he might be the one to take his place in response to questions from a reporter.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has said he has no intention of making a run for the presidency should the Democrats run an open convention in Chicago, next month
Democrats have publicly aired their concerns following President Biden's debate performance
'No, I mean it's not even...' Newsom started.
'Absolutely not?' the reporter asked.
'To me, it's the hypothetical that gets in the way of progress in terms of promoting this candidacy,' Newsom continued.
'That's a legit question, but it's exactly where the other party wants us to be is having this internal fight and I think it's extraordinarily unhelpful. I said that literally the second after the debate. It was my first public comments. So I've been consistent in this belief, not just privately, but publicly.'
Biden made it through the 22-minute ABC News interview on Friday without any major blunders but it appeared unlikely to fully tamp down 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 against a not-insignificant faction of his party with four months to go until Election Day, and with just weeks until the Democratic National Convention.
Last week, Newsom offered a forceful defense of Biden telling Democrats in Michigan that he believes the president has the record and energy to win a second term.
Newsom's pitch at a local Independence Day picnic is part of an effort from 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 forceful defense of Biden saying he believes the president has the record and energy to win a second term
Newsom made his pitch for Biden 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 July Fourth picnic. 'What I need to convince you of is not to be fatalistic, not to fall prey to all of this negativity... Do more. Worry less.'
Newsom's plea highlights the tenuous balance for Democrats and party lieutenants like the 56-year-old governor.
Newsom has long been a top Biden campaign surrogate and was among the governors who rallied behind the president after a private White House session on Wednesday.
Yet Newsom himself is among those mentioned as potential replacements should Biden step aside and allow an open convention when Democratic delegates convene in Chicago next month.
The governor has continued to sidestep questions about potential outcomes, including a question about whether he would support Vice President Kamala Harris, a fellow Californian, for the nomination if Biden leaves the race.
'I don't even like playing in the hypotheticals, because last night was about sort of locking down any doubt or ambiguity,' he said, referring to Biden's session with Democratic governors.
'And then we start running in different directions, zigging and zagging and all that kind of speculation. And that gets in the way of progress.'
Newsom has long been a top Biden campaign surrogate and was among the governors who rallied behind the president after a private White House session on Wednesday. That pair are seen in November 2023
Newsom acknowledged 'a tough few weeks' and admitted he had to scrap his planned talking points when facing reporters in Atlanta following the debate.
But he said Biden reassured him and other Democratic governors last Wednesday at the White House, where the president acknowledged his flop but expressed determination to win his rematch with Trump.
'That was the Joe Biden I remember from two weeks ago. That was the Joe Biden that I remember from two years ago,' Newsom said. 'That's the Joe Biden that I'm looking forward to reelecting as president of the United States, and I mean that.'
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 turn in earlier and be fit for the job.
Newsom did not address those explanations during his 15-minute remarks. He told reporters afterward that Biden referenced late nights 'with a smile on his face.'
'It was more of a rhetorical framework of just being fit and rested, because he was burning it at both ends that last last ten or so days (before the debate), and I think that was what he was reflecting,' Newsom said. 'It wasn't a literal "at 8 o'clock I will be doing things differently," it was more figurative.´'
Newsom said it's okay when a 'president acknowledges they're human' and added that people are 'reading between the lines too much' on what Biden said about his schedule.
Despite the governor's confidence, leading Democrats remain concerned about whether Biden can rebound 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 this November
The president's aides and allies agree that the coming days are critical, with Biden planning a visible, busy schedule that could stem any free fall in public confidence - or further solidify voter concerns that he is too old for another term.
On Friday, Biden campaigned in Wisconsin, a key battleground that he won in 2020, before sitting down for an interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos which failed to calm fears over Biden's suitability as he gave long, rambling, non-sensical answers to many questions.
At times, Biden rambled during the interview, which ABC said aired in full and without edits.
At one point, he started to explain his debate performance, then veered to a New York Times poll, then pivoted to the lies Trump told during the debate. Biden also referred to the midterm 'red wave' as occurring in 2020, rather than 2022.
Asked how he might turn the race around, Biden argued that one key would be large and energetic rallies like the one he held Friday in Wisconsin. When reminded that Trump routinely draws larger crowds, the president laid into his opponent.
An interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos which failed to calm fears over Biden's suitability as he gave long, rambling, non-sensical answers to many questions
'Trump is a pathological liar,' Biden said, accusing Trump of bungling the federal response to the COVID pandemic and failing to create jobs. "You ever see something that Trump did that benefited someone else and not him?"
Biden plans to hold a full news conference during the NATO summit in Washington next week.
Newsom, meanwhile, has attempted to urge the party faithful to embrace Biden's record and values.
'I believe in this man. I believe in his character. I believe that he has been one of the most transformative presidents in our collective lifetimes,' Newsom said.
'We're so good at focusing on what's wrong and not celebrating what's right.'
