California Gov. Gavin Newsom again shuts down talk of a 2024 presidential primary challenge to Biden: 'Not on God's green earth'

• Gov. Gavin Newsom told the AP he was firmly behind President Joe Biden's 2024 reelection bid.
• Newsom told the outlet that "not on God's green earth" would he challenge Biden in a party primary.

Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, who for over a year has publicly jostled with Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida over everything from gun rights and immigration to abortion and the treatment of LGBTQ+ citizens, reaffirmed to The Associated Press that he would not against President Joe Biden in the 2024 Democratic primary.

Newsom — a former San Francisco mayor and lieutenant governor who is now in his second term after easily winning both a 2021 recall election and a general election race last year, has long faced rumors that he would challenge Biden, who in April announced a reelection bid.

Last year, Newsom told Politico that he informed the White House that he wouldn't challenge Biden last summer, remarking that he was "all in" for the president's reelection campaign.

But amid Newsom's continued back-and-forth with DeSantis, with the newly-minted GOP presidential candidate last week needling him over his decision to not to enter the 2024 race, the California governor once again made it clear that he would continue to back Biden.

"Not on God's green earth, as the phrase goes," Newsom told The Associated Press, with the governor highlighting a fundraiser that he would host for Biden on Tuesday during the president's swing through the Golden State. "I have been pretty consistently — including recently on Fox News — making the case for his candidacy."

And during the interview, Newsom again took a heavy swing at DeSantis, whose governorship — and now White House candidacy — has earned his derision.

"He's taking his eye off the ball," Newsom said of DeSantis' political attacks on him. "And that's not inconsistent with my own assessment of him, which is he is a weak candidate, and he is undisciplined and will be crushed by Donald Trump, and will soon be in third or fourth in national polls."

Even with DeSantis currently trailing Trump in most national GOP presidential primary polls, the Florida governor remains the former president's top rival for the nomination.

But Democrats also have their own issues to navigate.

Despite Biden's incumbency, many Democrats have indicated that they would like to see another candidate serve as their party's nominee, with some citing the 80-year-old president's age. If reelected next year, Biden would be 82 at the beginning of his second term in January 2025 and 86 upon exiting the White House in January 2029.

And even if Biden wins in 2024, major questions remain about the future leadership of the party, as Newsom, fellow Californian and Vice President Kamala Harris, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg are all mentioned as potential Democratic standard-bearers in 2028 and beyond.