Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) defended President Joe Biden against criticism that he lacks the mental fitness to be commander in chief during his debate with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL).
“I will take Joe Biden at 100 vs. Ron DeSantis any day of the week at any age,” Newsom said Thursday during the Fox News-hosted debate.
DESANTIS GOES FOR ‘HAIL MARY’ IN HIGH-RISK DEBATE AGAINST NEWSOM
DeSantis disagreed, contending Biden is in cognitive decline and is “a danger to the country.”
“He has no business running for president,” DeSantis said. “And you know, Gavin Newsom agrees with that. He won’t say that, but that’s why he’s running a shadow campaign.”
Newsom countered that Biden will be the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee “in a matter of weeks,” while DeSantis “will be endorsing” former President Donald Trump “as the nominee for the Republican Party.”
“When are you going to drop out and at least give [former U.N. Ambassador] Nikki Haley a shot to take down Donald Trump,” he said.
The governors were asked what grade they would give Biden for his first term, with Newsom giving Biden an “A” and DeSantis giving him an “F.”
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The debate allowed the pair to introduce themselves to a general election audience despite only DeSantis being a declared presidential candidate for 2024.
Biden, the country’s oldest president, turned 81 last week and is under scrutiny regarding whether he has the stamina to campaign, in addition to whether he can defeat Trump should the former president become the GOP nominee.
