The Real Winner Of Last Night’s Debate Was Gavin Newsom

California’s far-left governor spent the hour before Thursday night’s debate in the media spin room ostensibly cheerleading for a president he knows he is about to replace, either in four years or four months.

“This is it,” Gov. Gavin Newsom told reporters ahead of the primetime event, going after former President Donald Trump more than promoting President Joe Biden. “This is liberalism versus illiberalism.”

“This is very sobering for me and I hope for the American people,” Newsom added.

What was more sobering, however, was when the 81-year-old incumbent took the stage and put his senility on display. Here are some of the headlines Americans woke up to Friday morning:

• New York Times: ‘It’s Frightening’: Democratic Voters Worried by Biden’s Struggles in Debate
• Washington Post: Democrats panic over Biden’s debate performance, doubt his future
• Politico: Dems freak out over Biden’s debate performance: ‘Biden is toast’
• Newsweek: Joe Biden Stumbles During Debate: Six Moments That Hurt the President

The Trump campaign was quick to capitalize on Biden’s poor performance with an ad highlighting some of the president’s worst moments.

Immediately after the debate ended, CNN’s John King noted “a deep, a wide and a very aggressive panic” engulfing the Democratic Party.

“It started minutes into the debate and it continues right now,” King said. “It involves party strategists. It involves elected officials. It involves fundraisers. And they are having conversations about the president’s performance which they think was dismal.”

“Some of those conversations,” King added, “include ‘should we go to the White House and ask the president to step aside?’ Other conversations are about ‘should prominent Democrats go public with that call?’”

Of course, waiting in the wings is the 56-year-old governor of America’s largest state, making sure to take every opportunity to land national airtime. Newsom was immediately swarmed by reporters following the 90-minute spectacle — glowing in the aftermath of Biden’s debacle.

“Are you going to be the next Democratic nominee?” an Israeli reporter asked Newsom while surrounded by journalists.

“No, our nominee is Joe Biden,” said the governor, clearly trying not to laugh.

Newsom went on to sit down with MSNBC to continue pretending Biden is cognitively capable for the job, let alone the remaining four-month campaign.

“The president has delivered,” Newsom said. “We need to deliver for him at this moment.”

Newsom, however, has spent much of the last year lining himself up as Biden’s successor, either two years out of the governor’s mansion in 2028 or as the substitute candidate in the scenario that the president does decide to step aside. Last fall, Newsom participated in a Fox News debate with Florida Republican Governor and then-presidential candidate Ron DeSantis to offer a preview of a potential race to come. The California governor went to China about a month prior and met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

And here is footage of the California governor taking a stroll around the White House two summers ago while President Biden was overseas.

Whether Democrats still have time to replace Biden on the ticket remains an open question. Republicans are ready to respond with litigation against the effort four months from Election Day.

“If Joe Biden were to withdraw at any point before the Democratic National Convention, it would be up to the delegates at the DNC to pick a new nominee,” the Daily Mail reported last week. “But from there, they can expect legal challenges from Republicans looking to prevent any other Democratic nominee from getting on the ballot in certain states.”

The Heritage Oversight Project has targeted three critical swing states where Democrats would be unable to replace Biden, including Georgia, Nevada, and Wisconsin.

Newsom, however, has continued to throw cold water on the idea of replacing the president while allowing his behavior on the media circuit speak for itself.

“From my humble perspective,” Newsom said last night, “this is not about style. This is about delivering results for the American people.”

Tristan Justice is the western correspondent for The Federalist and the author of Social Justice Redux, a conservative newsletter on culture, health, and wellness. He has also written for The Washington Examiner and The Daily Signal. His work has also been featured in Real Clear Politics and Fox News. Tristan graduated from George Washington University where he majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow him on Twitter at @JusticeTristan or contact him at [email protected]. Sign up for Tristan’s email newsletter here.