Beshear says he told Biden he needs to 'reassure American people' at governors conference
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear was in Louisville on Friday to survey storm damage following an EF1 tornado that touched down in the western part of the metro.
Following the surveys and press conference, Beshear spoke with the media about the recent governors' meeting he attended with President Joe Biden this week.
He said the meeting was private and he wished to respect that, but shared what he said to Biden at the meeting.
"I said that our president is known for being a straight talker, telling the American people the truth. And my recommendation was that he have an open conversation with the public about the status of his health," Beshear said. "For those that are worried, addressing it directly, I think, could be really beneficial."
There has been concern throughout the Democratic party following Biden's performance at the presidential debate last week. But Biden has maintained since the debate that he will still be seeking reelection this fall.
Beshear said on Friday that he will be attending the Democratic National Convention in August, with him saying he was planning to attend before Biden's debate performance.
"I was going before. I'm going now," Beshear said. "Now, Joe Biden is the nominee. The only way that's not the case is if he decides he's not going to pursue the nomination."
When asked again about his name being brought up a potential replacement should Biden decide not to run, Beshear said that is more a reflection of Kentucky than it is of himself.
"I don't hear that as me. I hear that as us. What's going on in Kentucky is really exciting," he said. "We have a cloud of pessimism hanging over our country, and this feeling of optimism throughout Kentucky with the record jobs, breaking the record on exports, record tourism, low recidivism, our overdose deaths going down two years in a row there just really good things going on in Kentucky."
Beshear also touched on the progress in Kentucky not being "red or blue."
"They're just good for everybody. So I think when you hear my name floated, it's because people see what we all are doing, and they long for a world where we can get past the constant back and forth and just move forward together," Beshear said.
Watch Beshear's full remarks in the player below:
When Beshear was reelected last year, he said that regardless of what was happening around the country, he was committed to fully serving out his second and final term as governor of the Commonwealth. He reiterated that again on Friday but didn't totally leave the door closed to other possibilities.
"I love being governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. I plan on continuing to be governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. I'm not going to speculate on this. Is he running or is he not? Because he says he's he's running," Beshear said. "The only way I would ever consider anything other than this job, which I love, is if I felt that I could help this Commonwealth."
Beshear ended by saying that Biden needs "to not just reassure Democratic governors, but he needs to reassure the American people."
Biden said during a rally in Wisconsin on Friday that he's "staying in the race," and that he's beat Donald Trump once and he'll do it again.