California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom seemed to criticize Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party’s efforts to nominate her without any primary votes being cast.
Newsom appeared on “Pod Save America,” a popular left-leaning podcast hosted by former staffers from the Obama Administration, to discuss the Democratic National Convention and Harris’s nomination, who is from his home state.
When asked about the rapid primary process and Harris’s ‘coronation,’ a smirking Newsom appeared to aim at both Harris and the Democratic Party as a whole.
“How are you feeling about the switch?” Pod Save America co-host Jon Favreau asked. “We went through a very open process, a very inclusive process. It was bottom-up, I don’t know if you know that,” Newsom said with a laugh. “That’s what I’ve been told to say.”
“It was a blitz primary, I believe is what they called it,” Favreau responded. After again joking about the nomination process, calling it a “30-cent convention,” Newsom then moved on to pro-Harris talking points and claimed the party is “unified” behind her.
WATCH:
?Wow. Gavin Newsom mocks the Democrats’ coronation of Kamala Harris:
Host: “How are you feeling about the switch?”
Newsom: “We went through a very open process, a very inclusive process. It was bottom-up, I don’t know if you know that. That’s what I’ve been told to say.” pic.twitter.com/yz9AVq2TN6
— Steve Cortes (@CortesSteve) August 24, 2024
Harris effectively became the Democratic Party’s nominee more than 30 days ago after President Biden announced the suspension of his re-election campaign via an X post. Although Biden did not immediately endorse Harris, he did so in a subsequent post about 20 minutes later.
Biden’s endorsement has sparked significant speculation, with reports of infighting within the Biden White House and the upper echelons of the Democratic Party.
Reports suggest that former President Barack Obama, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi orchestrated a pressure campaign to influence the nomination process. According to sources, the three prominent Democratic leaders proposed holding a “mini-primary” at the Democratic National Convention to select a new candidate.
Obama was reportedly set on nominating Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), though his plans were upset when Biden endorsed Harris as a final “f**k you,” a source close to the Biden Family told the New York Post.
Biden’s endorsement of Harris was “Joe truly knifing Obama and Pelosi in the back for making him stand down,” another high-profile Democratic Party source told the outlet.
According to an exclusive report published earlier this month, Pelosi played a pivotal role in Biden’s decision to abandon his reelection bid.
As Biden recovered from his COVID infection a day before the now-infamous Sunday evening nationwide address announcing he would step away from the race, Pelosi sent him an urgent message: She was ready to publicly express her doubts about his ability to defeat Donald Trump in November, DailyMail.com reported.
The ultimatum was clear: Drop out now, or Pelosi would publicly criticize her long-time political ally and friend of over 50 years, the outlet said.
Four sources with close knowledge of the situation confirmed to DailyMail.com that such a message was conveyed. One well-placed source indicated that Pelosi directly told Biden during a phone call that she would release harsh polling data to support her claims.
Her demand was reportedly so forceful that it prompted a ‘come to Jesus moment’ for the president, leading him to start drafting the letter announcing his withdrawal, the outlet said, adding that officially, the offices of both Biden and Pelosi denied any phone call took place.
The explosive revelation came amid an escalating public fallout between Pelosi and Biden, who haven’t spoken since his withdrawal announcement. With her new memoir hitting the shelves, Pelosi has been navigating a series of interviews, struggling to avoid questions about her deteriorated relationship with the president.
On Sunday, August 4, CBS anchor Lesley Stahl confronted the former speaker on the issue.
“It’s been very well-reported that you were the leader of a pressure campaign [to convince Biden to step aside]?” asked Stahl.
“No, I wasn’t the leader of any pressure [campaign],’ Pelosi responded. “Let me say things that I didn’t do: I didn’t call one person.”
But in a subsequent interview with The New Yorker, Pelosi said she was losing sleep over her rift with Biden and “praying” the relationship could be repaired.
