California Governor Gavin Newsom described presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump as the “weakest candidate” to run for president from a major party “in my lifetime,” ABC News reported.
In an interview with ABC’s “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl while campaigning for President Biden in South Carolina last Sunday, Newsom blasted Trump for refusing to admit that he lost the 2020 presidential election and accused him of trying to “wreck the country” and “lighting democracy on fire.”
The California governor warned that the consequences of the 2024 race were “profound and pronounced” and said he was in South Carolina to promote President Biden’s accomplishments in his first term and to emphasize the stark contrast between the president and Donald Trump.
When asked about President Biden’s low approval numbers in polling, Newsom defended the president’s economic record and argued that the nation’s economy was far better than the rest of the global economy, explaining that because of Biden’s successes, the US economy “stands tall” among the rest of the world.
At the same time, Newsom admitted that Trump has been polling better against the president than he should and said he took the “threat” from Trump and “Trumpism” seriously.
However, Newsom pointed out that Trump was a far weaker candidate in 2024 than he was in 2016 and even 2020, explaining that the former president had become “more unhinged,” “less disciplined,” and “less entertaining” this time around.
Newsom cited Trump’s legal problems and suggested that the multiple trials and 91 criminal charges that appeared to boost him in the Republican primary would harm Trump in the General Election. He cited some recent polling that showed voters were less likely to vote for Trump in November if he were to be convicted in any of his trials.
He told Jonathan Karl that Trump was “the weakest candidate to run a major party” in his lifetime, adding that the former president was “coming in deeply damaged,” especially since Democrats have continued to win elections since Trump was elected in 2016.
