Newsom agrees Biden is ‘cognitively strong enough to be president’
FILE - Gov. Gavin Newsom delivers his annual State of the State address on March 8, 2022, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Monday said President Biden is mentally strong enough to serve in the White House, as Biden faces regular questions about his age amid his 2024 reelection bid.
“Do you think he’s cognitively strong enough to be president?” Fox News host Sean Hannity asked Newsom in an interview that aired Monday.
“I have conversations with him all the time, yes. And I’ll tell you what. I’m dead serious about that. I’ve talked to him when he’s been overseas. I’ve been in Air Force One, Marine One. I’ve been in the limo with him. I’ve spent time with him privately and publicly,” Newsom said.
“You never answered my question directly,” Hannity pressed back. “How many times does your phone ping a day, people saying you need to get in this race because they agree with me that he’s not up to the job?”
“I see where you’re going with that, Sean. … I’m not answering,” Newsom said to the host.
“Under any circumstances would you get in this primary?” Hannity asked.
“No. No,” Newsom responded, adding that he’s “proud” of the president.
Biden, who is already the oldest president to sit in the Oval Office, is running for another four years despite opponents often raising concerns about his age. He would be 82 when he takes office if he clinches a second term and 86 by the end of his tenure.
At another point in the interview, Newsom said of Biden, “I don’t think he’s capable; I know he’s capable. I see results. I’ve seen a master class of results last year.”
The California governor took himself out of 2024 hypotheticals just after last year’s midterms, announcing he wouldn’t run, but he is widely regarded as a possible future Democratic presidential hopeful.