Biden and Newsom survey California storm damage
Katherine Doyle
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President Joe Biden is surveying recovery efforts in storm-ravaged California alongside Gov. Gavin Newsom, a high-profile Democrat whose attention-grabbing exploits have prompted speculation about his future ambitions.
Accompanied by Newsom and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, Biden on Thursday will meet with first responders, state and local officials, and communities left devastated after a string of floods and landslides ripped through the area.
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Criswell told reporters traveling with the president on Air Force One that the two leaders have been in close contact throughout the crisis, but said she couldn’t “speak to what their relationship is.”
Looming over the visit is Biden’s expected reelection bid, and maneuvers by Newsom that have catapulted the governor atop a heap of possible candidates should the president choose not to run.
The two-term governor has said he has “sub-zero interest” in a presidential run, urging Biden to wield him as a political tool. But the governor’s maneuvers have done little to quiet the public’s interest in his future plans.
After handily winning reelection, Newsom last month traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border days after Biden defended his decision not to visit the area. Weeks later, the president followed up with a trip of his own.
As Biden struggled with low approval ratings, high gas prices, and a stalled legislative agenda last year, the Democratic governor expanded his list of Republican targets, filling a void by fueling public spats with Govs. Ron DeSantis of Florida and Greg Abbott of Texas.
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Newsom has also swiped at national Democrats, lashing out at his party amid revelations last year that the Supreme Court was preparing to overturn the constitutional right to abortion.
Polling puts the governor among his party’s top contenders to lead a future presidential ticket.