‘I would never turn my back on President Biden’: Newsom shows support at presidental debate

Following the conclusion of the CNN Presidential Debate, Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., fired back at reporters when asked if he would support the idea of replacing President Biden.

“I would never turn my back on President Biden. Never turn my back on President Biden. I don’t know a Democrat in my party that would do so. And especially after tonight, we have his back,” Newsom said.

“We run, not the 90-yard dash. We are all in. We’re going to double down in the next few months. We’re going to win this election,” he continued.

When questioned about Biden’s performance, Newsom said he cared about “the substance.”

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Left: President Biden. Right: California Gov. Gavin Newsom. (Getty Images)

“How about the substance? I care about the substance. I care about the substance,” Newsom said without explaining what he meant. 

Newsom assured reporters that he was not going to turn his back on the president and was confident he was fit to be the country’s leader.

“I spent a lot of time with him. I know Joe Biden, I know what he’s accomplished in the last three and a half years. I know what he’s capable of. And I have no trepidations,” Newsom said.

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Gov. Gavin Newsom and his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom, photographed with President Biden, have been married since 2008. (David McNew)

Leading up to the debate, rumors continued to swirl that Newsom, a possible candidate for president in 2028, had been tapped as a Biden surrogate leading up to the November presidential election.

Back in February, podcast host Joe Rogan speculated the Democratic Party was preparing to swap out Biden with Newsom on the 2024 presidential ticket. 

“Don’t you think that that’s a ruse, him running for president?” Rogan asked, later arguing, “I think they’re gonna get rid of him, I think they’re gonna move him out, they’re gonna force him to step down. That’s what I think.”

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Gov. Gavin Newsom with President Joe Biden (Getty Images)

Following the debate, Newsom brushed off concerns about Biden’s performance, saying “we’ve all had those nights” and that the president has repeatedly pushed through concerns about his age.

“He never gives up. He’s never giving up, fighting for us, fighting for democracy, our future kids, our grandkids. So we’ve got to have this back in this respect. And yeah, I hope he does come back, and I hope he is back on the stage in another debate,” he told MSNBC’s Alex Wagner in a post-debate interview.

When pressed if he was “ready to take on Donald Trump,” hinting that he could be a potential replacement for Biden, Newsom again denied the rumors and gave his full support to the president.

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“Absolutely not. I will never turn my back. That’s my personal point of view. I do not know one Democrat that would do that,” Newsom said. 

Fox News Digital’ Alexander Hall contributed to this report.