Gov. Gavin Newsom defends Biden as Atlanta debate surrogate

Gov. Gavin Newsom defended President Joe Biden as a confident, energetic and competent leader, unlike former President Donald Trump during the first presidential debate of the 2024 general election.

Newsom, a potential presidential candidate in 2028, was chosen as Biden’s surrogate ahead of the November presidential election, when Biden faced Trump for a second time.

The Biden campaign aimed to allay concerns about the 81-year-old incumbent’s age and skills at the event. But after the president repeatedly stuttered and paused during debate responses, television networks reported that Democratic operatives were worried about Biden’s ability to succeed in his campaign.

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After the debate, Newsom brushed off concerns about Biden’s performance, saying “we’ve all had those nights” and that the president repeatedly brushed aside concerns about his age.

“He never gives up. He never gives up, he fights for us, for democracy, for our future children, our grandchildren. So we have to take that back in that regard. And yes, I hope he comes back, and I hope he’s back on stage in another debate,” he told MSNBC’s Alex Wagner in a post-debate interview.

Newsom was already considered a potential candidate in 2028, but after Biden’s poor debate performance, the 56-year-old governor was mentioned on several networks as a possible replacement on the Democratic ticket.

Reince Priebus, former chairman of the Republican National Committee, told ABC’s David Muir that Democratic figures including Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer are “probably waiting on the phone” after Biden’s performance.

Yet Newsom has remained a staunch defender of Biden.

“We must support the President of the United States, Joe Biden, at this critical moment,” he said. “And focus on tomorrow, focus on the future, focus on the vision that will move this country forward.”

“(Trump) wants to take us back to the pre-1960s world (in terms of) voting rights, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, women’s rights, access to contraception,” he said. “That’s what we need to talk about. That’s what’s at stake, democracy, the fate and future of this country.”

Before the debate, Newsom said, “President Biden is confident. He has a track record and a vision for the future.” At the same time, he criticized Trump’s insults, calling them “a harbinger of Donald Trump’s maturity as he gets older.”

Newsom also decried the “weaponization of clips” of the president stumbling over his words or stumbling during public events.

In one recent example, CNN anchor Erin Burnett asked Newsom about a video from a Hollywood fundraiser that shows former President Barack Obama grabbing Biden’s hand to lead him off stage. Newsom, who said he was “four feet” from the stage, defended the president and said he was on his feet for many hours that day and had just returned from the G7 summit in Italy.

Asked about his praise and cooperation with Trump on emergencies like COVID-19 and the wildfires, Newsom said he would “work with anyone who wants to advance the cause of this country, my state and the world that we let’s build,” but also said Trump “kept his promises because we had to go a long way to kiss the proverbial ring.”

But that relationship has deteriorated since Trump left office, he said.

“He calls me Newscum,” the governor said of Trump. “I think my 7th grade friend called me Newscum. That’s the rise of Donald Trump’s maturity as he gets older.”

The governor was also asked about Biden’s record on immigration and the increase in unauthorized border crossings in recent months. He accused congressional Republicans of torpedoing a bipartisan deal on immigration after Trump called for it to fail.

This is a “failure of Congress to work with the president of the United States,” he said, specifically calling out Republican President Mike Johnson. “(Biden) presented a plan and they refused to negotiate.”

Newsom, who describes himself as a border governor, also said border crossings have been down since Biden signed an executive order restricting immigration.

Democratic Rep. Robert Gargia of Long Beach was also present as Biden’s representative during the debate.

This story was originally published June 27, 2024, 7:35 p.m.