Newsom 2024? Biden says California governor could have ‘the job’ if he wanted

President Joe Biden had a surprising compliment for California Governor Gavin Newsom during an economic forum with various world leaders.

The president said that Newsom, whom he described as a great governor, could have “the job” of president if he wanted it, amid strong rumors that the governor of California is running a shadow campaign to replace Biden in an eventual presidential candidacy.

“I want to talk about Governor Newsom. I want to thank him. He’s been one hell of a governor, man,” Biden said during a welcome reception for leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum in San Francisco. “Matter of fact, he could be anything he wants. He could have the job I’m looking for."

Biden's unexpected comment also comes at a time when his approval is down in multiple surveys, and there is also widespread concern among Democratic voters regarding his physical and mental state given his advanced age.

In fact, the last few weeks for Biden have been complicated, as several progressive media outlets, such as The New York Times and CNN, published polls that put Donald Trump ahead in the presidential race in key states.

Likewise, the president scored another strong blow in New Hampshire, where Emerson College found that the Democrat has just 30% support heading into the Democratic primaries, a considerably low figure for a sitting president, who usually averages around 60%.

Meanwhile, Newsom continues to fuel rumors of a potential shadow candidacy by raising his profile nationally and internationally, with trips to Israel in the midst of his war with Hamas, and also to China at the end of last month to meet with President Xi Jinping.

Some politicians, both Democrats and Republicans, have speculated on the idea of a Newsom candidacy over Biden.

Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) told Fox News Digital that “the track record is not good for him to be gallivanting around the world doing basically a shadow campaign for president, just waiting for the moment when they finally decide to throw Biden under the bus.”

LaMalfa, in that conversation with Fox, stated that Biden is the Democratic “starter,” but Newsom the “backup quarterback” in the 2024 race.

Meanwhile, Newsom himself attained his worst popularity ratings as governor in the midst of his supposed shadow campaign that has generated criticism among Californian voters.

Some prominent Democratic political strategists, such as David Axelrod, a former top adviser to Barack Obama, have questioned whether Biden's candidacy is in the best interest of the Democratic Party and the United States.

“Only Joe Biden can make this decision. If he continues to run, he will be the nominee of the Democratic Party. What he needs to decide is whether that is wise; whether it's in HIS best interest or the country's?” wrote Axelrod on X after citing a NYT poll that puts Trump ahead of Biden in five of six key states that could potentially define the 2024 election, including Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Michigan.