California Gov. Gavin Newsom defended his choice to continue supporting former President Joe Biden’s candidacy for reelection in an interview with NBC News on Nov. 2. Democrats had split over whether Biden should run for a second term following mounting concerns about his health, eventually leading to former Vice President Kamala Harris picking up the ticket for the Democratic Party just months before the November 2024 presidential election.
Newsom celebrated the former president’s accomplishments and said he had no reason to doubt Biden’s ability to serve another four years. He indicated he was deeply grateful to have a friendship with the former president and at one point compared Biden to his own father.
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Newsom attributed Biden’s 2024 presidential debate performance to jet lag following fatigue and a long flight. That performance amplified pre-existing concerns among some top Democrats that Biden should stand aside to let another Democrat run.
But Newsom, who spent time with Biden during some of his final days at the White House in December 2024, dimissed those concerns as overblown.
Democrats today remain somewhat divided over the question, with some arguing that Biden would have excelled in a second term and others suggesting he should have made the decision to step aside much sooner.
