Salt Lake City – Several Democratic governors briefed Fox News Digital on whether President Biden should give up on seeking reelection after another public gaffe in which he conflated Vice President Kamala Harris with former President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The day after President Biden introduced President Zelenskyy as “President Putin” at the NATO meeting in Washington, DC, the Ukrainian leader was on the ground in Salt Lake City, Utah, addressing attendees of the National Governors Association’s (NGA) summer conference.
Zelenskiy on Friday described the more than two-year-old conflict as “the clearest battle between good and evil in modern times” and expressed gratitude for “American leadership” against Russia’s “unprovoked and unjustified aggression.”
After the speech, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat and the NGA’s next chairman for 2024-2025, asked whether Biden was a good enough candidate to represent the U.S. on the world stage, given that Biden had confused Zelensky with Putin the day before, Fox News Digital reported.
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Colorado Gov. Jared Polis speaks during a press conference at the National Governors Association’s 2024 Summer Conference, Friday, July 12, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
But Polis avoided directly addressing Biden’s confusion. “I’ve been in this meeting all day, so I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Polis said. “But I think President Zelensky made a very strong case about why this is important not just for Ukraine and Europe, but frankly for the world order.”
“So when you have bullies, you have to stand up to them. And it’s really important that our allies in Europe, the U.S. and Asia stand up to Putin’s aggression,” Polis said, adding that Zelenskiy had “made it very clear” that he was not seeking U.S. troops on the ground that would put American lives at risk.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky waves after speaking at the National Governors Association’s summer conference, Friday, July 12, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
“They’re asking us for help, and I think there’s a strong consensus among the governors that we want to do everything we can,” Polis said. “In fact, the biggest request — and this speaks volumes about what’s happening — is for more bomb shelters in schools and hospitals. Russia is conducting a campaign of indiscriminate terrorism against the Ukrainian people, and that’s why it’s so important that we come together to fight this.”
But Polis acknowledged that there are discussions about changing strategy, whether in “campaign messaging” or “candidates,” to ensure Democrats remain competitive enough to win the November election.
“Of course, there’s a chance that Democrats will win in November. It’s a very close election. President Biden is not far behind, but I think it’s fair and objective to say he is. If the election were held today, we would likely lose,” Polis said. “What that means is that we need to change something as a strategy to protect our freedoms, to protect our democracy. We need to figure out what that strategy is. Do we change our campaign strategy? Do we change our campaign message? Do we change our candidate? All of these things are being discussed.”
“I want to make sure that we do everything in our power to protect our democracy, and that includes, of course, supporting NATO, the world order, and the policies and progress that we’ve made over the last four years,” the governor added. “Just because we’re falling behind doesn’t mean we’re going to give up.”
Biden emphatically stated on Friday night that he would run again and win.
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Fox News Digital interviewed Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, a fellow Democrat, on the sidelines of the conference, asking him whether Biden has enough power on the world stage or if he should step back.
Greene responded by arguing that both Biden and former President Donald Trump have “limitations” due to their age, but added that Trump’s “personality” makes him more dangerous to people of both parties.
“President Biden has been great for our state. When the disaster hit, he stood up and declared a major disaster within six hours,” Green said of the Maui wildfires. “He’s helped us recover. I’ve heard from Republicans, governors, legislators and all the Democrats. The only thing I’ve heard from Trump is anything negative to say about our state. That speaks to his character. Biden has a kind heart.”
President Biden, along with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaks on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington, Thursday, July 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
“Older people, I think Trump and Biden fall into that category, they’re going to miss words and they’re going to have those moments,” Greene told Fox News Digital. “I’m a physician, I’m very aware of the limitations of Biden and Trump, and in fact the limitations of the latter are significant because his character is going to end up making policies that are really damaging to both Republicans and Democrats in my opinion. Of course, this is something to ask Democrats.”
“If the president chooses not to accept the Democratic nomination, if Jill or Pelosi or President Obama have a heart-to-heart with them and decide together that we want to go down a different path, I will be with the president,” Greene said. “That’s their decision,” she said. “But we should respect our leaders after they’ve served us for decades, and Hawaii should respect President Biden right now, because he’s done so much to help us get back on our feet.”
Just as President Zelenskyy spoke of the need to recover from the war in Ukraine, Hawaii must also recover from the wildfires on Maui. President Green, who governs islands in the South Pacific, argued that the Ukrainian conflict is close to home for the state, as Russian warships have been seen off the coast of Hawaii and any further deterioration in relations between China and Taiwan or North Korea would have an immediate impact. Given these “geopolitical considerations,” President Green argued that certain “expenditures” are justified, referring to US financial support for Kiev’s war effort.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green speaks at the National Governors Association’s 2024 Summer Conference, Thursday, July 11, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Greene still stressed the need for a peace deal, adding that “whoever is in charge, this war must end” whether it be Biden or Trump.
“This is extremely important,” he said of US support for Ukraine. “There are very real security issues off the coast of Hawaii. There are Russian warships in the area, and we are constantly monitoring. This happens a lot. They are collecting data. So, all I can say is, we should support President Zelensky, that’s all. We should support his people, because it is a humanitarian tragedy that the Russian government and Mr. Putin are continuing this war. I humbly ask them to stop the war, and we want to demand a peace treaty, because it’s horrifying to think how many people are going to be lost. Lives are being lost on the Russian side, too.”
Asked whether Biden was a strong enough candidate to take on Trump in November, Greene argued that the abortion issue was enough to help the Democratic incumbent win another four years.
“If women make a choice — Republican women, independent women, Democratic women — if they choose that their reproductive rights are important to them, enough women will choose Biden and he’ll win the election,” the governor said. “Biden was terrible in that debate. Trump was terrible in that debate. If you really want to know the truth, you’ll just have to wait and see what happens. But there are 65 million women of reproductive age, and I think they’re going to have something to say about this election. And if they choose the former president, that’s democracy. If they choose Biden, they’re probably caring about their daughters.”
Delaware Gov. John Carney attends the National Governors Association’s 2024 Summer Conference in Salt Lake City, Thursday, July 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Delaware Gov. John Carney, a Democrat who represents Biden’s home state, told Fox News Digital at the NGA summer conference on Thursday that he believes the president should continue to campaign despite Biden’s dismal debate performance. Outgoing NGA Chairman and Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox’s 2023-2024 initiative is “better disagreement,” emphasizing the need for civility between opposing parties when discussing differences. Carney argued that Biden is the best candidate to carry on that spirit.
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“I’ve been very vocal about him continuing to run. I meet with him frequently. I’ve been to the White House. I’ve known him for years and I know what he stands for. He’s the type of person who has tried to bring together different positions and ideas,” Carney said. “And I’ve always heard the argument that we should do better in disagreement, and in that respect I would argue that he’s the best person to move the country forward. In terms of the Democratic Party and the debate around its candidate, my perception is that everyone is doing it respectfully.”
