‘You don’t turn your back on a performance’

Governor of California Gavin Newsom (D) on Thursday he stood next to the president Joe Biden despite growing concern within the party about his performance in the CNN debate.

During the 90-minute debate in Atlanta, Georgia, Biden gave incoherent answers and appeared weak as he left ex- President Donald Trumplies on a range of issues, including the economy and the January 6, 2021 insurrection, go unchallenged.

But Newsom, who was once considered a front-runner for the Democratic nomination in 2024 if Biden chose not to run for reelection, said the panic building among Democrats is “pointless” and “unnecessary.”

“We have to come in, we have to keep our heads up, and like I said, we have to have the support of this president,” Newsom told MSNBC’s Alexander Wagner. “You don’t turn your back because of a presentation. What kind of party does that?

Still, many in the party feel Biden has failed to allay voters’ concerns about his age and fitness to serve at a critical point in the campaign cycle, as polls show him and Trump tied in a dead heat race. with some hoping he will decide to drop out and allow a younger candidate to take over the Democratic ticket.

At 81, Biden is the oldest president in US history and would be 86 at the end of a potential second term.

“Biden had something he needed to do tonight and he didn’t do it,” former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) told MSNBC. “He had one thing he needed to accomplish: assure America that he was up to the job at his age and he failed at that.”

Newsom, however, chose to focus on Biden’s record in office, saying his presidency was a “masterclass.”

“This president delivered,” said the governor. “We need to hand it over to him right now.”

The California Democrat added that continued talk about Biden does not serve American democracy at a time when the world is looking to U.S. leadership.

“They need us to step up now and that’s exactly what I intend to do,” Newsom added.

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