Gavin Newsom heads to Atlanta to support Joe Biden in presidential debate with Donald Trump

Governor. Gavin Newsom travels to Atlanta to support the president Joe Biden during Thursday evening’s debate with the former president Donald Trumpa new national appearance aimed at reinforcing the California governor’s stature as a national Democratic heavyweight.

The plans were first reported by KCRA on Tuesday. Newsom’s trip was also confirmed in a fundraising email sent Wednesday morning.

A Newsom campaign spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. A Biden campaign spokesperson declined to confirm the appearance to The Bee.

Newsom will be one of several Biden campaign surrogates available to speak to reporters after the debate in what is called a “spin room.”

Traditionally, they flood an area adjacent to the event and tout their sponsor’s performance to journalists. Television interviews are also typically scheduled for one-on-one interviews that are typically broadcast on cable networks and streaming sites.

This is Newsom’s second campaign to gain national attention this week. On Tuesday, he blasted Republicans in a pre-recorded State of the State speech that targeted a national audience as much as a California one.

Although he did not mention Trump by name, Newsom chastised “delusional California conservatives and critics” in the half-hour speech posted to his social media.

Trump has often criticized California and the Democratic governor, even telling an annual gathering of conservatives this year that he would like to run against Newsom “because he destroyed California.”

Newsom has repeatedly said he will not run for president this year, throwing his support behind Biden. But the California governor has positioned himself as a liberal national figure ready to attack the GOP, taking the kind of approach taken by future candidates for national office.

The first presidential debate between Biden and Trump will take place Thursday at 6 p.m. PT at CNN’s studios in Atlanta.

The Bee’s Lindsey Holden and Nicole Nixon contributed to this story.