Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear explained Tuesday that Democratic state governors requested a meeting with President Biden because they “want to make sure he’s doing OK.”
Beshear, whose name has been floated as a possible replacement for the 81-year-old commander in chief on the Democratic presidential ticket, said during a CNN interview that Biden should be more open “about his health” in light of last week’s disastrous debate performance which the governor believes “hurt the campaign.”
“I think we’ve all got to be upfront and honest that what we saw in the debate – it was rough,” Beshear said during his appearance on “The Situation Room.”
“It [was] a rough night, and regardless of polls that you see, it’s going to hurt the campaign,” he added.
Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz organized a Monday night call of his fellow Democratic state leaders – none of whom had heard directly from Biden – to discuss the concerns about the president’s debate against former President Donald Trump.
The White House has arranged a meeting between the president and Democratic governors slated for Wednesday.
“I think the governors just want a direct and candid conversation with the president,” Beshear said of the upcoming meeting. “We want to make sure he’s doing okay.”
“We all know him. He has formed a personal relationship with us, and he says he is [OK], and we take him at his word, but it’s always good to see somebody in person.”
What to know about the fallout from President Biden’s debate performance:
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) became the first congressional Democrat to call on Biden to drop out of the race Tuesday after a debate performance in which the octogenarian president repeatedly froze up on stage and lost his train of thought.
Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), also on Tuesday, expressed that he had no confidence in Biden’s ability to beat Trump in November.
Beshear, 46, stopped short of calling on Biden to end his re-election effort.
“Joe Biden is our nominee, and ultimately that decision on continuing or not will fall to him and his family,” he said.
The governor, however, urged Biden to open up about his health.
“I don’t think that there’s anything wrong with asking the president to talk to the American people a little bit more about his health or that debate performance,” Beshear said.
“It’s like seeing somebody that you haven’t seen in a while and they seem a little off, and you asking how they’re doing, and then listening to their answer, is both showing concern for them but also just trying to make sure that things are OK,” he argued.
“If people have those questions,” Beshear said, referring to the president’s health, “it’d be great for him to answer them directly.”
