Democratic governors rally round Biden after debate debacle, say he’s ‘in it to win it’
WASHINGTON — President Biden urged the nation’s Democratic governors to stand by his candidacy Wednesday at a more than hour-long meeting — but most of the 10 who attended in person didn’t vouch for him afterward on the White House driveway, including four of the Democrats’ top possible replacements for Biden.
Those forgoing a moment before the cameras and reporters after the meeting included California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Kentucky Gov. Andrew Beshear — all leading contenders for the top slot if Biden, 81, decides he can no longer lead the Democratic ticket.
Soon after the meeting broke up, Whitmer tweeted her support for the president, repeating the slogan of the meeting: “@JoeBiden is our nominee. He is in it to win it and I support him.”
Newsom soon followed suit, tweeting, “I heard three words from the President tonight — he’s all in. And so am I. @JoeBiden’s had our back. Now it’s time to have his.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, one of Biden’s only gubernatorial allies to speak outside the West Wing, said that all of the attendees pledged to support Biden, at least in private, in the wake of his disastrous Thursday debate performance.
“We came together tonight to listen to President Biden to tell us, in his own words, what his plans were. I’m here to tell you today President Joe Biden is in it to win it. And all of us said we pledged our support to him because the skates could not be higher,” Hochul said.
“We talked about how we transitioned under a monarchy and a tyranny that our Founding Fathers fought against and that we risk right now descending back into that very same place. We will stand with the president as we fight that force that force — that force being Donald Trump.”
Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland, who also appeared before reporters, said, “The president was very clear that he is in this to win this” — with Vice President Kamala Harris, herself a possible replacement for Biden, also in attendance.
“Yes, he’s fit for office,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz insisted, adding that “Thursday night was a bad performance … but it doesn’t impact what I believe: he is deliberant”
Other in-person attendees who didn’t appear on the driveway to vouch for the commander in chief included Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, Delaware Gov. John Carney and DC Mayor Muriel Bowser.
Shortly before the 6:30 p.m. meeting with governors, Biden again read carefully from teleprompters at his only public event of the day in the White House East Room.
The president’s scandal-plagued son Hunter Biden, 54, sat attentively near his dad’s lectern as he presented the Medal of Honor posthumously to two Civil War soldiers, Philip Shadrach and George Wilson.
Biden praised Shadrach and Wilson for showing “grace” as they accepted their fate after being captured by Confederate authorities during the Great Locomotive Chase of 1862 in Georgia.
“As they approached the gallows, George and Philip stood tall,” Biden said, his face partially obscured to many in attendance by close-in teleprompters.
“A crowd gathered around them. Private Wilson turned to face the crowd, summoned the ultimate measure of grace and according to reports from that day, this is what he said, he looked at the crowd and he said he believed they were wrong but he did not harbor hostility toward the people of the South.”
Biden, who is resisting what many fellow Democrats privately say is the looming end of his own political life, did not take reporter questions as he departed the East Room.
Most of the country’s 23 Democratic state governors were expected to attend the meeting with Biden either in person or virtually — as a mounting number of congressional Democrats called for Biden to step aside.
Biden allegedly told an ally Tuesday that he may drop out of the race if he’s unable to solidify his political footing, the New York Times reported.
His spokespeople strongly denied the story.
The Times editorial board on Friday called on Biden to abandon his quest for a second term.
Hunter Biden has emerged by his father’s side as his father’s confused and frozen debate performance threatens to end his career.
The first son, who is known to distrust his father’s inner circle of advisers, meanwhile, has joined official meetings since President Biden returned from a long weekend at Camp David on Monday — alarming West Wing staff.
Hunter Biden was convicted in Delaware of three federal gun felonies last month and is scheduled to stand trial in Los Angeles beginning Sept. 4 on allegations he committed $1.4 million of tax fraud.
Hunter Biden regularly involved his dad in his business relationships in China, Ukraine and other countries during and immediately after his vice presidency.
Those engagements are a main focus of the ongoing House impeachment inquiry into alleged corruption.
Biden’s staff appeared intent on curtailing press access to the East Room for the president’s event — initially denying access to a reporter for The Post, which is the country’s fifth-most-read online news source, excluding aggregator MSN.
“We are unable to accommodate your credential request to attend the Medal of Honor Ceremony today, July 3, 2024. The event will be live-streamed and can be viewed at WH.gov/live,” the press office said in an email.
“Thank you for understanding. We will let you know if a credential becomes available.”
The press office has throughout Biden’s administration implemented an opaque prescreening process for large event spaces that under past presidents were open to all reporters — drawing press corps protests.
White House staff allowed The Post to attend Biden’s remarks after receiving a request for comment for this story and after being approached about the exclusion by a leader of the White House Correspondents’ Association.
