In an interview, California Governor Gavin Newsom argued that former President Donald Trump has been a big reason for Democratic electoral success recently.
Newsom said Trump is “weakness masquerading as strength” and is becoming more “unhinged” over time, as evidenced by his recent racist comments.
“I think he’s weakness masquerading as strength,” Newsom said.
Newsom contended that Democrats are stronger now and have won several recent elections, in part due to Trump being the face of the Republican party.
“I think he’s more unhinged. He’s less interesting than he was even a few years ago. I mean, you’ve heard his comments just this week. More just overt racist comments that he’s made. It’s just extraordinary how quickly he is unraveling in real time, including just on basic policy issues like repealing Obamacare, which is overwhelmingly supported. The highest ACA enrollment that we’ve seen in decades, or rather in years and years, just the last few weeks.”
“So the reality, at the end of the day, he’s unhinged. He’s a much weaker cannon than he was a few years ago,” he added.
“Democrats are stronger. We’re winning – ‘18, ‘20, ‘22, ‘23. You saw it in New York three. We continue to win. We continue to outperform. And Donald Trump is a big part of that. And he’s going to be the nominee of the Republican Party,” he said.
When asked if he would run for president himself in 2024 given concerns about President Biden’s age, Newsom dismissed the idea, saying he was focused on celebrating Biden’s accomplishments and contrasting with the eventual GOP nominee to ensure Democrats win again in 2024.
“I mean you’ve got to be kidding,” Newsom said. “I am here celebrating the extraordinary accomplishments of the Biden-Harris administration, making the case that we need to make to lift up the issues, lift up the record, drive contrast with the Republican nominee to beat Donald Trump so that we can win for four more years.”
Newsom painted Trump as a liability for Republicans and credited him partially for helping Democrats achieve electoral victories.
