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NFL legend Marshawn Lynch, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and agent Doug Hendrickson addressed President Joe Biden's decision to end his campaign during the first episode of their Politickin' with Gavin Newsom, Marshawn Lynch, and Doug Hendrickson podcast released on Monday (July 24).
Lynch, 38, immediately asked Newsom, 56, why he wasn't running for president after being among the names speculated to replace Biden following a disastrous debate performance last month. The governor said he was on the treadmill and received several texts about the president's decision before being flooded with messages.
"This has got 30 seconds, this is gonna hit. No heads up, nothing," Newsom said when asked by Lynch if any officials gave him a notification in advance.
Newsom then revealed that the White House attempted to contact him around the time of Biden's announcement.
"Well, I found out feeling worse about it because the phone was ringing off the hook and now voicemail's full and I get all these text messages from the White House saying the president's trying to get in touch with me but I didn't even see them," Newsom said. "So, the president calls, the vice president calls, I'm still in the damn gym and I didn't even know that they called because the rest of my phone was just lighting up and I was just focusing on putting up a statement on behalf of the president."
Biden's decision to end his re-election campaign reportedly came within the 48 hours of his public announcement, a senior campaign adviser confirmed to CNN on Sunday.
Biden shared an official statement addressing Americans on his social media account.
"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term," Biden said. "I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision."
The president's decision came amid reports of uncertainty regarding his re-election campaign following a disastrous performance in the first presidential debate against former President Donald Trump, 78, last month. Biden, the oldest president in history, appeared opposite Trump on the debate stage for the first time since the 2020 election and did little to quell concerns about his vigor and energy.
The president appeared to struggle with his voice, clearing his throat and coughing multiple times, and was often seen open-mouthed and staring when Trump spoke, occasionally struggling to finish sentences. Biden's performance reportedly led to "panic" among Democrats, according to longtime Democratic operative and CNN senior political commentator David Axelrod, which was followed by several Democratic members of Congress calling for him to step down.