Whitmer stands by Biden after governors’ meeting at White House • Michigan Advance

Shortly after US President Joe Biden met at the White House on Tuesday evening to reassure Democratic governors about his candidacy following his widely criticized performance at the debate, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer reiterated her support for the president in a brief social media post.

“.@JoeBiden is our candidate. He wants to win and I support him,” Whitmer wrote on X.

.@JoeBiden is our candidate. He wants to win and I support him.

– Gretchen Whitmer (@gretchenwhitmer) July 4, 2024

The meeting came after some Democrats and a number of analysts called on Biden, 81, to drop out of the race, citing concerns about his age and declining poll numbers. The presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump, is 78 and was convicted of 34 felonies by a New York court in May.

Vice President Kamala Harris also attended the meeting, and governors attended both virtually and in person. In addition to Whitmer, other Democrats in the group who have been considered as Biden’s successors or future presidential candidates were California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Maryland Governor Wes Moore and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.

Whitmer’s first book comes out Tuesday, further fueling rumors of a future presidential run. She is co-chair of Biden’s national campaign, has held events across the country in recent months and was also on his shortlist for the 2020 vice presidency.

Newsom, who is scheduled to campaign for Biden in West Michigan on Thursday, expressed similar sentiments to Whitmer: “I heard three words from the President this evening – he’s fully on board. And so am I. @JoeBiden‘s supported us. Now it’s time to help him.”

Three governors held a press conference outside the White House after the meeting: Moore, New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

“We came together tonight to hear President Biden tell us his plans in his own words. I’m here today to tell you that President Joe Biden is about to win. And we all pledged our support to him because the stakes couldn’t be higher,” Hochul said.

While speculation reaches its peak during the debate, Whitmer remains an important surrogate for Biden in the re-election

“We talked about how we fell under a monarchy and a tyranny that our founding fathers fought against, and that we are now in danger of falling back into the exact same place. We will stand with the president as we fight against that power – that power is Donald Trump.”

Moore described the conversation as “open.”

“It was a great conversation with the president and vice president because it was honest and open,” Moore said. “We always believe that if you love someone, you tell them the truth.”

In response to a question from reporters, Walz said Biden was “fit for the office.”

“None of us deny that we had a bad performance on Thursday night. It was a bad catch, if you will. But that doesn’t affect my opinion – he delivers,” Walz said. “What we saw there today was the guy we all believed in when we could beat Donald Trump for the first time, and we did.”