Gavin Newsom says it’s time ‘to move past’ speculation on Biden running
Mabinty Quarshie
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Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) sought to quell any possibility that President Joe Biden isn’t credibly running for reelection or that Newsom will challenge the president for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination in an interview with NBC News Meet the Press host Chuck Todd.
“I think we need to move past this notion that he’s not going to run,” Newsom said during a snippet of the interview that was released on Friday. “President Biden is going to run and looking forward to getting reelected.”
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“I think there’s been so much wallowing in the last few months and hand-wringing in this respect, but we’re gearing up for the campaign. We’re looking forward to it,” Newsom continued.
Much ado has been made of 80-year-old Biden’s ability to serve as president for another four years should he win reelection. Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed in a CNN poll released on Thursday, 73%, said they’re seriously concerned Biden’s age might negatively affect his cognitive abilities, and 76% said Biden’s age could negatively affect his ability to serve out another term. A broad majority of Democrats surveyed by CNN, 67%, also said they wanted another candidate as the Democratic presidential nominee.
But Newsom claims that ship has passed. Biden will be the nominee in next year’s elections. “Time to move on. Let’s go,” he told Todd.
The California governor is seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party who may run for president in the near future, a fact that has led to reports of tension with Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden’s likely successor.
“I think the vice president is naturally the one lined up, and the filing deadlines are quickly coming to pass,” Newsom said about Harris if, for some reason, Biden doesn’t seek reelection.
Newsom and Harris have known each other for years as they rose through the ranks in California’s political scene. The governor said the two had an “extraordinarily close working relationship” when Harris served as the Golden State’s senator. But he doesn’t foresee a presidential primary against Harris anytime soon. “You can’t imagine ever having to run against each other?” Todd asked Newsom.
“Of course not. By definition won’t happen,” Newsom said. “We privately continue to maintain a very good relationship.”
When asked about whether Harris was upset that Newsom agreed to debate Republican presidential candidate Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), the governor said it was possible a member of the vice president’s team might not have been pleased.
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“Apparently, someone in her office is, because I read some off-the-record quotes,” Newsom said. “I wish I knew who that was, but I don’t hear it from her, so, and I’m certainly not hearing it from the White House itself.”
The full Meet the Press interview with Newsom will air on Sunday.