GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — West Michigan played host to a high-profile guest this Fourth of July, as California Gov. Gavin Newsom traveled to South Haven to meet with locals and stump for President Joe Biden's re-election campaign.
In an exclusive sit-down interview with 13 ON YOUR SIDE later that day, Newsom spoke with political reporter Josh Alburtus about why he traveled to Van Buren County—a county that had backed former President Donald Trump in 2020 by roughly 12 percentage points.
"I think it's because we haven't had a lot of surrogates out there," Newsom said. "So, I think we wanted to fill that void and make the case that everybody matters. Every part of the state matters, every part of this country matters and we're not leaving anything to chance with the Biden-Harris campaign."
Top state Republicans, however, pushed back on Newsom's visit.
"Gavin Newsom has a lot of nerve coming to Michigan, considering his blind loyalty to electric vehicles," Michigan GOP Chair Pete Hoekstra said. "Gavin Newsom campaigning in Michigan shows just how out of touch Joe Biden and his team are to Michiganders and the struggles we face here. I hope they enjoy their BBQ—which, thanks to Bidenomics, is significantly more expensive."
In describing the scene he found in South Haven, however, Newsom painted a picture of a welcoming crowd.
"You see passionate people," Newsom said. "You see people that haven't fallen prey to cynicism or anxiety."
As he made his trip to Michigan Thursday, Newsom's own name has been speculated by some as a potential top contender for the Democratic ticket should President Biden choose to step aside.
On multiple occasions, however, the head of the nation's most populous state has sought to convey support for Biden's re-election efforts following the president's performance at last week's presidential debate in which he had trouble at times finding his message.
"Maybe I'm a little old-fashioned," Newsom said. "My dad used to remind me all the time, said, 'You go home with the one who brought you to the dance.' I don't turn my back because [Biden] had a tough debate, 90-minute debate, and turn my back to the accomplishments of the last three and a half years."
In explaining the position he's staked out for himself, Newsom elaborated on what he felt those accomplishments were.
"I've just seen the benefits of the CHIPS and Science Act, I've seen the benefits of the infrastructure investments, I've seen the transformative benefits of the most significant climate policy in my lifetime," Newsom said. "I've seen the benefits of a president that's worked across the aisle in a bipartisan way to pass many of those bills I just represented, and someone that I think has got a lot left in the tank in terms of being able to deliver policy, principles, values, character. So, for all those reasons, I'm all in."
13 ON YOUR SIDE's conversation with Newsom came one day after he and other Democratic governors, including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, traveled to the White House to speak with Biden amid continued concerns over the longevity of the president's campaign to stay at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
"Look, he began that meeting, though, on the one question everybody had in mind," Newsom said. "We all went there, we all wanted to hear what he had to say, and the two words that were the most resonant were 'all in,' and that's how he began the meeting. That's all I needed to hear. That's why I'm here."
His presence in Michigan, however, was what the state's senate minority leader decried as an apt connection between the campaign Newsom supports and how the leader views the performance of the governor's state.
"Nothing is more representative of the failing state of the Biden/Harris campaign than having the Governor of an actual failing state like California to come campaign for you," State Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Twp.) said. "With both being responsible for the chaos at the southern border, high costs of groceries and gas, and lawlessness in major cities, we know Michigan voters see right through the charade of these ineffective and short-sighted politicians.”
As his state faces a dangerous heat wave and what some consider to be an important time for the state legislature in Sacramento, Newsom responded to potential concerns about his departure from California to resume high-profile activities amongst the national political realm.
"I'm here taking my personal time to focus on democracy and freedom and focusing on a record of accomplishments under the Biden administration, second to none, on changing the way we produce and consume energy to address precisely the issue that we are addressing in California," Newsom said.
Newsom made reference to the activation of California's State Operations Center and the availability of cooling centers around the state.
"And so, we put that plan into action, and we're doing as best we can," he said.
As Newsom had campaigned for his choice for the next president on Thursday, he also spoke to the seemingly newfound protections for that office, following the Supreme Court's ruling that presidents can have presumed immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts taken while in office.
In her dissent of the 6-3 decision, Justice Sonia Sotomayor even went so far as to suggest that a president could claim immunity after hypothetically ordering Navy Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival.
The ruling was one that Newsom described as making him "very fearful."
"[American democracy] is the best of, you know, Greek democracy, Roman republic, popular sovereignty," Newsom said. "[The Founders] brought all of that to bear—checks and balances. That's being thrown out now with the Supreme Court. Biden, you know, is the beneficiary at the moment of that kind of presidential immunity, I guess. But he doesn't see it that way. He thought it was a terrible decision. I think it was a terrible decision."
In all, Newsom stressed what he believed to be a pivotal election cycle that brought him to this key battleground state Thursday.
"This is a serious and sober moment," Newsom said. "I hope people reflect on that when they make their decision. Biden may not be everything you're looking for in terms of time of life. But in the context of this choice—and it's a choice in this election, daylight and darkness—this is a no-brainer, easiest election in my lifetime, and the most consequential."
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to reflect that former President Trump won Van Buren County by roughly 12 percentage points in 2020, not eight percent as initially written due to a miscalculation.
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