President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden met with Hawaii Governor Josh Green in August 2023 after Maui was hit by devastating wildfires. Greene was one of the Democratic governors who sat down with Biden to talk about the presidential campaign.
Evan Vucci/AP
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Evan Vucci/AP
Hawaii Democratic Gov. Josh Green said President Biden has not made a final decision on whether to continue running for re-election.
“If the president thinks he can’t defeat Donald Trump, he’ll give it to Kamala [Harris]”, Green said in an interview with NPR on Saturday.
“The president must make this decision with his lifelong colleagues in the Senate and his wife. Jill Biden is a superstar. They will make the right decision,” Green added.
Greene, a close Biden ally, said he still fully supports the president if he chooses to continue running. He said he thinks Biden is likely to remain in the race.
He spoke after a closed-door meeting with the president on Wednesday following Biden’s disastrous debate performance.
Greene is one of 25 Democratic governors who have met with Biden. There were eleven people in the room, and others, including Green, joined via video link.
The meeting comes amid growing questions from the media, voters and some Democratic lawmakers about the future of Biden’s candidacy.
Greene acknowledged being shocked after watching the debate but said Biden put him at ease during the meeting.
Greene, who noted that he is also a family physician, said: “I ask this question among our fellow governors, ‘Mr. President, are you OK? The debate that happened on Thursday, it was horrible, you are not yourself. ‘ “
Green said Biden responded that he was “exhausted” and “physically unwell” during his exchange with Trump.
During the June 27 debate, Biden struggled to speak clearly, seemed to lose his train of thought, and seemed unable to refute Trump’s arguments, which fact-checkers later concluded were filled with false statements.
Biden: ‘It’s just my brain’
Biden, 81, and his opponent, former President Trump, 78, are both “old men,” Green said: “Biden and Trump will have moments where it’s not entirely clear. What’s important is that they’ve arranged it around themselves.” who respond and when.
Green confirmed that when asked about his health during a meeting with the governor, Biden said he was in good health but then quipped, “It’s just my brain.”
“He was obviously joking and then said, ‘Stop joking,'” Biden campaign chairwoman Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a statement.
Greene also interpreted the quote as a sign of Biden’s humor.
“It’s very difficult for someone to actually use that kind of humor if they’re not cognitively competent,” Governor Green said. “He was definitely joking, and I know America may not be in a joking mood right now.”
Green said he hopes the media will also pay attention to Trump’s mental acuity and character.
“If we’re going to judge one gentleman… we should be judging another,” he said.
Biden ‘working hard to win’
In public appearances and interviews in the days following the debate, Biden acknowledged his poor performance on stage but said he would remain in the campaign.
“I’m not leaving,” Biden said in a fundraising email to supporters on Wednesday.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul listens as governors speak to reporters after meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House, Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Martin)
Jacqueline Martin/AP/Associated Press
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Jacqueline Martin/AP/Associated Press
Three other Democratic governors spoke about their meetings with Biden at a news conference outside the White House on Wednesday.
All three Democrats expressed support for Biden.
“President Joe Biden is committed to winning,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “All of us have said we are committed to supporting him because the stakes could not be higher.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz acknowledged Biden’s “terrible” performance in the debate but added “it doesn’t affect my belief: He’s done his job.”
Walz said he believes Biden is “fit for public office.”
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore called his conversations with Biden “candid” and “honest.”
“We’re honest about the feedback we get. We’re honest about the concerns we hear from people,” he said.
