California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) says it’s time to “move on” from speculation that he might run in the 2024 White House race.
“Filing deadlines haven’t passed. [If] President Biden doesn’t run, why shouldn’t we consider you a likely candidate?” Chuck Todd asked Newsom in an interview set to air Sunday morning on “Meet the Press” on NBC.
“Well, I think the vice president is naturally the one lined up, and the filing deadlines are quickly coming to pass and I think we need to move past this notion that he’s not going to run,” Newsom said. “President Biden is going to run, and we’re looking forward to getting him reelected.”
Pressed on how he responds to private calls about 2024, Newsom said, “Time to move on. Let’s go.”
Newsom, who has long been considered a possible presidential contender, has repeatedly said he won’t run for the White House in 2024, even in the hypothetical that Biden, 80, decides against a reelection bid.
The California governor also stressed during the interview that, if Biden weren’t to run, Vice President Harris would be next up for the party to rally around.
“It’s the Biden-Harris administration. Maybe I’m a little old-fashioned … about presidents and vice presidents,” Newsom said.
Harris in recent interviews has said she’s prepared to be president “if necessary,” amid concerns about the president’s age, but she and other Biden allies have shrugged off those worries as they campaign for a second term.
“Yes, I am, if necessary. But Joe Biden is going to be fine,” Harris told CBS News in an interview for “Face the Nation” also set to air Sunday.