‘Time to move on,’ California Gov. Gavin Newsom denies 2024 presidential run, supports President Joe Biden'n age

California Governor Gavin Newsom has dismissed any speculation that he might run for president in 2024 and challenge Joe Biden, the current Democratic incumbent. He said that Democrats should “move on” from the question of Biden’s age, which will be 82 by the next election.

“President Biden is going to run,” Newsom said in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired on Friday.

“I think there’s been so much wallowing in the last few months and handwringing in this respect. But we’re gearing up for the campaign. We’re looking forward to it.”

Newsom, 55, said he would advise donors worried about Biden’s age to “time to move on.”

He also expressed his support for Vice President Kamala Harris, 58, and a former colleague of Newsom in California politics. He said he had a “very good relationship” with Harris and that he could not imagine ever running against her.

“It’s the Biden-Harris administration,” he said.

The California Gov. sparked rumours of his presidential ambitions earlier this year when he appeared on Fox News’s Sean Hannity and challenged Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to a debate over their different approaches to governing their states.

“Maybe I’m a little old-fashioned about presidents and vice presidents,” he said.

“I was a lieutenant governor, so I’m a little subjective.”

Newsom said he had known Harris before they both entered politics and that they worked closely together when she was the district attorney of San Francisco, the attorney general of California, and a US senator.

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“So you can’t imagine ever having to run against each other?” host Chuck Todd asked.

“Of course not. By definition, won’t happen,” Newsom replied.

“But I’ve said that a thousand times. We privately continue to maintain a very good relationship.”

“She’s not upset that you’re going to debate Ron DeSantis?” Todd pressed.

“Apparently someone in her office is because I read some off-the-record quotes,” Newsom said.

“I wish I knew who that was. But I don’t hear it from her, so, and I’m certainly not hearing it from the White House itself.”

DeSantis, 44, a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2024, accepted Newsom’s challenge last month and said he was ready to face him in a debate.

“Florida has been the number-one state for net in-migration. We have the number one-ranked economy, number one now in education, crime rate at a 50-year low,” DeSantis said on Fox News in August.

“But in another sense, this is the debate for the future of our country, because you have people like Joe Biden [who] would love to see the Californication of the United States.”

The Florida Gov. also suggested that both Newsom and Harris were eyeing the White House.

A recent poll by The Wall Street Journal showed that 73% of registered voters and two-thirds of Democrats think Biden is too old to serve another term as president.

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A CNN poll of US adults also showed that Biden trails behind almost every Republican contender in a hypothetical general election matchup, except for businessman Vivek Ramaswamy. He is tied with DeSantis.

The debate between Newsom and DeSantis is expected to take place in November in a swing state such as Nevada, Georgia, or North Carolina, according to an aide for the California governor who spoke to Politico in August.

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