NOT DON YET
Democratic governors back Joe Biden after White House crunch talks – but potential replacements noticeably absent
The governors had a lot to say following the meeting
DEMOCRATIC governors have insisted they support President Joe Biden despite his poor debate performance and calls for him to step aside.
A trio of governors spoke highly of the president to the media following Wednesday's closed-door meeting at the White House.
4
4
Rumored potential presidential replacements Gavin Newsom of California, JB Pritzker of Illinois, and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan were nowhere to be found despite their reported attendance.
Instead, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Maryland's Wes Moore, and New York's Kathy Hochul addressed reporters after the meeting.
"It was honest, it was candid. We were honest about the feedback we were getting," Moore said.
He revealed that he and his colleagues are looking forward to working on their next steps with Biden.
Read More on Biden
"The thing that makes us most optimistic and hopeful is that we are hopeful of the future. We know we have work to do, we know we are behind."
However, Walz was quick to address the elephant in the room.
When a reporter asked about the president's well-being, he quickly reaffirmed that he was “fit for office.”
“None of us are denying Thursday night was a bad performance. It was a bad hit, if you will on that, but it doesn’t impact what I believe: he’s delivering.”
Most read in The US Sun
He revealed that during the meeting, he and others relayed their concerns but came to the agreement that “we are all looking for the path to win. All the governors agree with that. President Biden agrees with that.”
“What we saw in there today was a guy who was the guy that all of us believed in the first time who could beat Donald Trump and did beat Donald Trump,” he said.
Anthony Blair Times Hit on Biden VIDEO
Hochul added that once the meeting started, they were able to gain an understanding of what the president wanted from his campaign.
"We came together tonight to listen to President Biden tell us in his own words what his plans were," she said.
"Joe Biden is in it to win it. The stakes could not be higher."
While he didn't address reporters outside the White House on Wednesday, Newsom later showed his support on X.
"I heard three words from the President tonight -- he’s all in. And so am I," he wrote.
"@JoeBiden’s had our back. Now it’s time to have his."
A List of Democratic Govornors
The meeting was the president's latest attempt to prove that he could win over the American public after his disastrous debate performance.
When speaking at the meeting, the White House revealed that "the president reiterated his determination to defeat the existential threat of Donald Trump at the ballot box in November and sought the advice and expertise of Democratic governors."
"In addition to defeating Donald Trump, the meeting also focused on the importance of electing Democrats up and down the ballot to deliver more Democratic governors and more Democratic majorities in Congress and statehouses across the country."
"All participants reiterated their shared commitment to do everything possible to make sure President Biden and Vice President Harris beat Donald Trump in November."
The president's spokesperson also confirmed that there is no chance that Biden will drop out of the race.
“The President is and will remain our party’s nominee, and Vice President Harris is proud to be his running mate, and looks forward to serving at his side for four more years,” Brian Fallon, a campaign spokesman, told CNN.
“Reports suggesting they or the campaign are considering alternative scenarios are patently false.”
PRIOR SUPPORT
Before the meeting, many governors made it clear that they were counting on Biden to continue his campaign.
“Democratic governors are some of the President and Vice President’s most proactive and vocal supporters because they’ve seen how the Biden-Harris Administration’s accomplishments are directly benefiting their residents,” an official told The Hill.
The meeting took place at 6:30 pm on Wednesday in the Roosevelt Room, according to the White House.
Newsom has even added that talking about Biden stepping down would be “unhelpful and unnecessary” last week.
“I am old fashioned, but on the substance, Joe Biden won the debate last night. That is what matters to me,” Newsom wrote in a Biden campaign fundraising pitch Friday.
“We aren’t going to turn our backs because of one performance. What kind of party does that?”
Governor Moore also shot down any idea that the president should drop out of the race in a recent interview.
“Joe Biden is our nominee. Joe Biden is our leader. And Joe Biden has earned and Joe Biden deserves the confidence, the respect, and frankly, the partnership that we now have to provide to him,” Moore told CBS News.
4
SHOCKING DEBATE
Biden has been working hard to prove himself after his shocking loss in his first debate with Trump.
During the televised disaster, Biden struggled to answer questions and spoke in a low tone while on stage.
He even appeared to freeze and stare off into the distance during numerous moments during the special.
At one point, Trump huffed that he couldn't understand the president.
"I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence," Trump said during the debate.
In a leaked video, Trump reportedly slammed Biden after they went head to head, according to The Daily Beast.
“Can you imagine that guy dealing with Putin? And the president of China—who’s a fierce person. He’s a fierce man, very tough guy. And they see him,” Trump said on a gold cart while someone was videotaping him.
The president addressed the public's concerns about his performance against Trump, claiming that his recent traveling played a role in the debate.
“I wasn’t very smart," Biden said while talking to donors at a fundraiser in Virginia.
"I decided to travel around the world a couple of times … shortly before the debate.
“I didn’t listen to my staff … and then I almost fell asleep on stage.”
The president noted that he was at Camp David, Atlanta, and Italy over the course of a few weeks.
Read More on The US Sun
“It’s not an excuse but an explanation,” Biden said Tuesday.
He apologized but also stressed that it was “critical” for him to win the next election.
4