(Headline USA) California Gov. Gavin Newsom ruled out a 2024 presidential bid this week, arguing that Vice President Kamala Harris is the next in line.
NBC’s Chuck Todd pressed Newsom in an interview set to air Sunday about whether he will launch a bid before the filing deadlines this fall. “[If] President Biden doesn’t run, why shouldn’t we consider you a likely candidate?” Todd asked.
Newsom responded: “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. President Biden is going to run, and we’re looking forward to getting him reelected.”
Pressed on whether he’s been asked privately by Democrat leaders to consider running, Newsom said, “Time to move on. Let’s go.”
“It’s the Biden-Harris administration. Maybe I’m a little old-fashioned … about presidents and vice presidents,” he added.
Newsom has fueled speculation about a potential presidential bid since the beginning of the year, mounting frequent attacks on other Republican presidential contenders such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and spending millions on an ad blitz in GOP states such as Florida.
Despite her record-low approval ratings, Harris’s allies have been trying to portray her as the heir-apparent as concerns about President Joe Biden’s age grow. Harris herself said this week that she is “ready” to be president “if necessary.”
“Joe Biden is going to be fine, so that is not going to come to fruition,” Harris said. “But let us also understand that every vice president — every vice president — understands that when they take the oath they must be very clear about the responsibility they may have to take over the job of being president. I’m no different.”
