President Joe Biden during a presidential debate with Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. to longtime Democratic strategist David Axelrod, who added that by the time Biden finally got it together, the “panic had set in.”
To that end, Democrats must finally discuss the need for Biden to step aside ahead of the convention. Doing so would allow the party to nominate a fresh face and proven fighter who can go toe to toe with Trump, and forcefully make Democrats’ case. This would not be the first time Newsom’s name has been floated as a “break the glass in case of emergency” candidate, despite his repeated and emphatic denials that he had a 2024 campaign in mind.
In that debate – a much more hostile environment than Biden faced on Thursday – Newsom showed that he was unafraid to take DeSantis – and the entire GOP – to task for their positions on hot-button issues such as abortion, and most importantly, was a competent and forceful voice for Democrats’ agenda.a multi-state effort earlier this year to push back on GOP anti-abortion policies, an issue Harris has been the administration’s mouthpiece for.
Moreover, with his national recognition and political gravitas, Newsom is able to do what Democrats desperately need and what Biden showed himself unable to do: make the case for why Americans are better off with a Democratic White House than they would be under a second Trump term. To be clear, this is not to say that Biden stepping aside in favor of Newsom would be smooth.