The California governor responded to concerns about the president’s performance.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom responded to concerns surrounding President Joe Biden’s debate performance on Thursday night, saying he “would never turn my back” on the president.
While speaking to reporters at the CNN headquarters on Thursday, the Democrat governor dismissed a question about whether President Biden would step down or be replaced by another Democrat for the 2024 presidential race.
“I will never turn my back on President Biden. Never turn my back on President Biden, I don’t know a Democrat in my party that would do so,” Mr. Newsom said when asked about other top Democrats possibly replacing him.
The governor had been considered by some in the media as a possible presidential candidate.
A reporter shouted to Mr. Newsom, “Governor, are you ready to replace Joe Biden if you’re asked?” He responded, saying he was “very proud of the president.”
“So from my humble perspective, this is not about style. This is about delivering results for the American people,” Mr. Newsom said.
Later, the governor told MSNBC that the panic that is occurring among some in the media is “unhelpful” and “unnecessary,” adding: “We’ve got to go in, we’ve got to keep our head high and as I say, we’ve got to have the back of this president.
“You don’t turn your back because of one performance,“ he said. ”What kind of party does that?” According to Mr. Newsom, President Biden “has delivered” and “we need to deliver for him at this moment.”
President Biden has faced questions about his age and health since he took office in early 2021, with a number of polls suggesting that a majority of Americans view him as too old to perform his duties as president.
But after Thursday night, some Democrats and media pundits openly suggested that the president step down and have another Democrat take his place.
Vice President Kamala Harris, meanwhile, said after the debate that she believed President Biden started slow but ultimately “finished strong.”
