Newsom: There’s ‘Weaponization’ of Clip of Biden After He ‘Barely Slept’ and Had Schedule ‘No One Could Have Kept’

On Thursday’s broadcast of CNN’s “AC360,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said Republicans weaponized a clip of President Joe Biden with former President Barack Obama where Obama took him off the stage after Biden “had just flown back from the G7. He had a stopover, barely slept. No one, no one, no one could have kept that schedule.”

CNN host Erin Burnett asked, “I was with him in Wisconsin, a few weeks ago. But you were with him last week in LA, at that rally, where that video went viral, where President Obama kind of took his arm and took him off the stage. So, you were there.”

Newsom responded, “Yeah, it’s the weaponization of these clips. It was ridiculous.”

Burnett then cut in to ask, “That’s not what happened?”

Newsom continued his earlier statement, “I was with him for hours and hours on the photo line with President Obama. He had just flown back from the G7. He had a stopover, barely slept. No one, no one, no one could have kept that schedule. He did a wonderful job in private with all the donors, with surrogates, did an amazing job on stage. As I said, I was four feet away. That was ridiculous, and it goes to the weaponization of the moment and the situational nature of politics at this moment. But I get it, those things matter. We’ve got to confront those. We’ve got to be aggressive in that response. Tonight’s that opportunity.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett