Staff Reports
Governor Gavin Newsom, California’s liberal darling, has taken upon himself another quixotic quest: defending President Joe Biden’s ability (if you can call it that) to serve a second term. In Michigan—a critical swing state—Newsom urged voters not to get all “fatalistic” about Biden’s campaign, as concerns about his age and cognitive capacity continue to loom larger than the latest California wildfire.
During a campaign pit stop, Newsom doubled down on his loyalty to Biden as the Democrats’ knight in shining armor. This comes despite whispers that Newsom himself is being groomed as a 2024 backup plan, a notion he denies about as convincingly as a Hollywood actor in a low-budget sci-fi film. Newsom implored a room of disillusioned Democrats to avoid falling into the “negativity trap,” giving a TED Talk on why he believes Biden is a transformative figure, which is quite the Hollywood script, considering Biden can barely transform a coherent sentence.
Newsom warns Michigan Democrats 🥴
“I need to convince you not to be fatalistic, not to fall prey to this negativity, I believe that he has been one of the most transformative presidents in our collective lifetime”
(Yeah America is barely recognizable) https://t.co/Fu2yU6trDo
— RealKay_2 Still Fighting The Good Fight (@Real_K1776) July 5, 2024
Newsom’s desperate plea underscores the Democrats’ realization that Michigan is a must-win state. Trump carried it in 2016, before Biden clawed it back in 2020—making it one of a few pivotal battlegrounds to determine who gets the keys to the White House in 2024. By parading through Michigan, Newsom hopes to rally the base, fluff Biden’s pillow, and pretend everything is as hunky-dory as a ‘60s sitcom.
However, a growing faction of Democrats and influential donors clearly missed Newsom’s memo as they openly mull over replacing Biden. According to the New York Times, there’s even a new political action committee to fund an alternative candidate if (read: when) Biden decides to bow out. Internal chaos is further evidenced by the fact that at least three Democratic lawmakers have openly requested Biden remove himself from the race, clearly unconvinced by the “Busy Joe” narrative.
The elephant, the donkey in the room, remains Biden’s age. Ever since his dismal performance during the first presidential debate, where verbal flubs and memory lapses became the takeaways, concern about his fitness for office has skyrocketed. As a result, some major Democratic donors are now considering diverting their funds to lower-tier races, with others so fed up they’ve threatened to yank their financial support unless Biden takes one for the team and steps aside.
Heavyweight donors like Gideon Stein and Abigail Disney are among the chorus of discontent. Stein, whose ties to the Democratic Party are deep as the Grand Canyon, has warned his family will withhold roughly $3.5 million unless Biden bows out. Meanwhile, Disney herself declared that Biden’s campaign won’t see a single Mouse House dime until he steps down. Clearly, behind the Wizard of Oz curtain, every liberal influencer with a checkbook is ready to go rogue.
But good ol’ Biden isn’t budging (or at least that’s what his team claims). Blaming his debate debacle on too much jet-setting and debate prep, the commander-in-chief insists he’s ready for round two. The White House denies that any talks about Biden’s withdrawal are even taking place, setting the stage for a riveting election cycle where reality seems increasingly optional for America’s oldest president.
