Beshear responds to presidential run rumors

Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear told reporters on Monday that while President Biden’s performance in the recent debate was “shoddy,” he has no plans to rejoin the presidential race unless Biden drops out of the race.

Reporters asked Beshear what he thought of Biden’s performance in last week’s debate and whether he should continue in the campaign.

“The debate performance was awful. It was a very bad night for the president,” the Kentucky governor said. “But he’s still a candidate. Only he can make decisions about his future candidacy. So as long as he continues to run, that’s what matters.”

The question came just days after the first presidential debate between Biden and former President Trump, leaving many Democrats shocked and concerned by the president’s performance. Biden’s incoherent responses and raspy voice raised concerns about his age, mental health and fitness to serve another four years in office.

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After the debate, several Democratic Party officials and media outlets called for the president to drop out of the race and for another Democrat to take the party’s top position.

Asked whether he would take over if Biden dropped out of the race, Beshear reiterated that his future as a candidate would be decided solely by the president.

“He’s the nominee and as long as he is, I support him,” Beshear said.

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Voters expressed concern after the debate about Biden’s age and his ability to serve a second term. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images | Andrew Caballero Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

But he also told reporters that it would be an honour for his name to be floated as a possible candidate to lead the party as a presidential candidate.

“I think this is a reflection of the good things that are going on in Kentucky. We have cooler temperatures here compared to other parts of the country,” Beshear said.

He explained that Democrats and Republicans in the state are excited about the jobs the state has created, its record-low unemployment rate and its decline in overdose deaths.

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Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley/File)

Governor Beshear believes other states are starting to take note of the work being done in Kentucky and spoke about how a Democratic governor and Republican state legislature can get better results.

“I think the answer is not all partisan, but people are tired of the daily clashes,” he said. “So when you look at what we’ve accomplished in Kentucky, you can see a better future beyond the back-and-forth that we see at the federal level.”

Biden has not dropped out of the race, but he reportedly feels humiliated by his performance in the debate and is “lacking in confidence,” according to an NBC News report citing a person familiar with the president’s state of mind.

“It’s chaos,” a source reportedly told NBC News.

The outlet reported that after Biden’s debate performance, several prominent Democrats privately expressed concerns about Biden’s chances of beating Trump in November’s presidential election, but have publicly maintained their support for Biden.

Speaking at a fundraiser in New Jersey on Saturday, the president acknowledged it had not been a “great night.”

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“Police during the debate found that we converted more undecided voters to our support than Trump did, and a big part of that is because of what Trump did on January 6th,” he said. “People remember the bad things he did while he was president.”

Biden’s campaign said it has raised $27 million since his debate performance.

Fox News Digital’s Hannah Panrec contributed to this report.