‘You don’t turn away because of 1 performance’

Governor of California Gavin Newsom (D) stood with the president on Thursday Joe Biden despite growing concerns within the party about his performance during the CNN debate.

During the 90-minute debate in Atlanta, Georgia, Biden gave incoherent answers and appeared weak, as he first said President Donald TrumpTrump’s lies on a host of topics, including the economy and the January 6, 2021, insurrection, remain unchallenged.

But Newsom, who was once considered a front-runner for the 2024 Democratic nomination in the event that Biden chose not to run for re-election, said the panic creating among Democrats is “unhelpful” and “unnecessary.”

“We have to go in, we have to hold our heads high and as I say, we have to have the support of this president,” Newsom told MSNBC. Alex Wagner. “You don’t turn around for one performance. Which party does that?”

Still, many in the party feel Biden has failed to assuage voters’ concerns about his age and fitness to serve at a crucial point in the campaign cycle, as polls show he and Trump in a dead-heat race, with some privately hoping he will choose to step down and allow a younger candidate to take over the Democratic ticket.

At 81, Biden is the oldest president in American history, and would be 86 by the end of a possible second term.

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

However, Newsom chose to focus instead on Biden’s record, saying his presidency was a “master class.”

“This president has delivered,” the governor said. “We need to deliver for him right now.”

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

“They need us to act now and that’s exactly what I plan to do,” Newsom added.

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