California Gov. Gavin Newsom has offered up his praise and support for another four years of a Biden-Harris administration, saying that the administration has delivered a “masterclass” in how to get things done.
CNN’s Dana Bash asked the Democratic governor if he thought voters had a right to be concerned about President Biden’s age going into a second term.
“Voters have every right to be concerned,” Mr. Newsom said. “I remember Bobby Kennedy said it best, what the world needs are the qualities of youth, not a time of life but a state of mind. A quality of imagination.”
“I couldn’t imagine three years ago that this president could accomplish so much in such a short period of time.”
He said he wants a “seasoned pro that knows how to get things done.”
Mr. Biden, 80, is the oldest president in the nation’s history. He was 78 when sworn into office, and would be 82 at the start of a second term. Polls have found that a majority of voters believe Mr. Biden to be too old to effectively serve another four years.
The California governor has been the subject of speculation as a possible replacement for Mr. Biden if the president decided not to seek reelection. But Mr. Newsom said he’s satisfied with Mr. Biden’s job performance.
“I want a guy that produces results,” Mr. Newsom said. “And the results are in, it’s been a masterclass. There’s simply been no administration in my lifetime that has been more effective in producing more substantive results.”
Ms. Bash asked Mr. Newsom if he thought that Vice President Kamala Harris is the “best person to be on the ticket” with the president, referring to an interview last week where former Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not outright say whether she thought Ms. Harris was the best choice.
He responded that Mr. Biden wouldn’t have been able to be this successful without the vice president, despite her lack of popularity in the polls.
“Of course she is,” he said of Ms. Harris. “Biden-Harris administration, master class in terms of performance—bipartisan deals on infrastructure, bipartisan deals on guns and debt ceiling, on the CHIPS and Science Act.”
“I mean, by definition. If I think this administration in the last 2-1/2 years has been one of the most outstanding administrations in the last few decades, and she’s a member of that administration, she gets to lay and claim credit to a lot of that success. The answer is absolutely,” Mr. Newsom said.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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