Newsom Says ‘Not a Chance’ He Replaces Biden, Declares He’s ‘All in,’ ‘No Daylight’ Between Him and President
Screenshot via CBS
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is again dismissing calls for him to replace President Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic Party ticket, insisting there is “no daylight” between him and the president.
A teaser of a CBS Sunday Morning interview with Newsom was released on Friday in which the governor told Robert Costa he ignores even people reaching out privately to discuss him running for president.
“You’re not just a surrogate; you’re somebody who’s getting text messages and emails every day to consider running. How do you handle all of that?” Costa asked.
“Delete, delete, delete, delete. ‘Thank you,’ delete, and rinse, repeat. I’m all in. No daylight,” Newsom said.
The governor said he refuses to even engage in those talks privately because he knows eventually they’ll become public.
“I know one thing: Everything you do in private becomes public. Even private thoughts seem to manifest publicly! So, not a chance,” he said.
California Governor Gavin Newsom tells Robert Costa he is “all in, no daylight” on President Joe Biden’s reelection. And he says he’s dismissing any calls for his own presidential bid. More, Sunday. https://t.co/AnbUaYMcBc pic.twitter.com/lEvzWqN4vd
— CBS Sunday Morning 🌞 (@CBSSunday) July 12, 2024
Newsom has long pushed back against his name being floated as a possible replacement for Biden, something that’s only heated up in recent weeks as critics, some within the Democratic Party, openly question the president’s age and stamina. Biden has insisted repeatedly he’s staying in the race. He echoed that declaration at a Thursday press conference from a NATO summit in Washington.
Newsom claimed in February that it was conservatives “ginning up” talk of him replacing Biden. This was long before Biden’s June CNN debate performance. Since then, more than a dozen congressional Democrats have called for a new nominee, as well as other prominent Democrats like George Clooney, the Pod Save America hosts, strategist James Carville, and others.
“I think it’s a damning conversation, frankly, the other side wants us to have. And trust me, I know the mishegoss coming from the other side,” the governor told NBC News. “I’m deeply mindful of the anger machine and all the entertainment industry out there on Fox and elsewhere. They love ginning this stuff up.”
Watch above via CBS.
