California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) jumped to President Biden’s defense amid concerns about the incumbent’s age and reelection, saying he wants an “opportunistic pro.”
“I want a seasoned pro who knows how to do things,” Newsom said in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash. “I’m a little old. I want a guy who produces results and the results are there, this is a masterclass.
“No administration in my lifetime has been more effective and produced more significant results and we haven’t even started the campaign,” Newsom continued.
Newsom answered Bash’s question in a recent CBS News/YouGov survey, which found that nearly a third of registered US voters polled said they thought Biden would finish in a second term if re-elected.
At 80, Biden is the oldest US president. If re-elected in 2024, he will be 86 at the end of his second term. In recent weeks, several polls have indicated growing concern among voters about Biden’s age and ability to serve a second term.
“I couldn’t have imagined three years ago that this president could do so much in such a short period of time — I mean that,” Newsom said. “If this era of politics is about a celebrity, with all due respect, we’ve had a celebrity for four years. It’s not good.”
When asked if Biden can convince the American people that he has the energy to run for a second term, Newsom said, “That’s his [Biden’s] work and responsibility as the leader of our party.”
Asked if Vice President Kamala Harris (D) is the best person on the ticket with Biden in 2024, Newsom said “Of course she is.”
“The Biden-Harris administration – a masterclass in terms of performance, bipartisan deals on infrastructure, bipartisan deals on guns and the debt ceiling,” the California governor continued.
Newsom, long considered a possible presidential contender, has repeatedly said he will not run for the White House in 2024, even though Biden has not pursued a reelection bid.
Newsom reaffirmed to Bash that he will not run for president in 2024, “No, I’m not the guy, I’m not the only one.”
Earlier this month, the California governor said it was time to “move on” from speculation that he might run in 2024 and that Harris was “naturally in line,” after Biden.
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