California Governor Gavin Newsom (Democrat) reiterated his unwavering support for President Biden’s re-election bid during a press conference on the wildfires on Wednesday, saying the upcoming election marks an important milestone for California.
“This is a critical, critical moment,” the governor said. “This is an all-hands-on-deck moment for all of us. This is serious for our state. No state has anything more to lose in this situation.”
Newsom answered questions about the ongoing devastating wildfires in California, as well as political turmoil across the country, and was asked several questions about his continued support for Biden amid growing concerns about his age and health.
Newsom’s name has been floated as a possible successor to Biden amid calls from some Democrats for him to step down, but he continues to support the president.
Governor Newsom visited the White House last week along with other Democratic governors and toured several battleground states on behalf of the president.
The governor was quick to defend Biden when asked about him by reporters on Wednesday.Sacramento Bee articleFormer House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was quoted as saying that Biden should “do whatever he sets his mind to doing.”
Newsom acknowledged that he had heard about the article from his staff but did not know the full context, and said Pelosi’s comments were “not surprising.”
“This is clearly a decision by the president of the United States,” the governor said, quickly changing the subject to the “unprecedented crowds” of supporters of the president he saw over the weekend.
“I’ve been asked that question by 100 different media outlets and I think I’ve answered it adequately,” Newsom added. “That’s my position and that’s my thinking.”
The governor also praised Biden for the president’s support for NATO in a speech Tuesday night marking the organization’s founding 75 years ago.
“The president stood firm last night in his support of NATO, in contrast to President Trump, who said he didn’t even know what NATO was,” Newsom said, referring to comments Trump made during the 2016 campaign.
“Donald Trump is not that serious,” the governor continued, “just compare that to his unwavering support for President Biden in his remarks last night.”
Newsom described Biden’s actions as a “master class” in managing America’s alliances, saying “NATO is stronger than it has ever been and bigger than it has ever been.”
The governor reiterated that there were “significant” differences between the two candidates and maintained his focus in this campaign to “support this candidate, a man of character, integrity and honor.”
“Compare that to the darkness of Donald Trump,” he said.
Asked about balancing his support for the Biden campaign with the ongoing crisis in California, Newsom said he “needs time off,” but that while the work continues, he feels “deep pride” in defending our democracy.
The governor said he has a responsibility to California’s “40 million strong Democrats, Republicans and Independents who have enjoyed our democracy” to “rise to this moment.”
Asked directly later whether his support for Biden’s campaign had diverted attention from the crisis in California, Newsom gave a clear answer.
“That’s a total lie,” he said, stressing that “everything about this campaign will have a disproportionate impact on the state.”
He emphasized that California is a “pillar of the American economy,” the fifth largest economy in the world, and accounts for 16% of American jobs, and recalled how California was embroiled in 122 lawsuits under the Trump administration.
“Don’t you remember? The chaos, the fear, the anxiety, his political tactics, his politics and what he called ‘California Joy’ at the time,” Newsom said.
“He was serious. He said we needed to rake the woods day and night.”
