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Gov. Gavin Newsom might have maintained his support for President Joe Biden, but Newsom's Chinese fans think it's time for him to lead his country.
"The California governor is really suitable to be president. He's so handsome," one user wrote on the Chinese social media platform Weibo on Saturday.
Some said that Newsom's speaking style reminded them of former President Bill Clinton and that the California Democrat had a "bright future" ahead of him.
"Biden should have voluntarily stepped aside a long time ago. But even then, Newsom is waiting in the wings and has been playing a critical role in the Democratic Party," a user named Zheng Jun said in a Weibo post on the same day. "When the opportunity arises, he will be best prepared to seize it."
The goodwill for Newsom appears to stem from his last trip to China, which took place in October. During his trip, Newsom spent a week visiting Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai, as well as the provinces of Guangdong and Jiangsu.
Following his visit, Newsom said in an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour that he didn't want the US-China bilateral relationship to deteriorate because the two countries are "interdependent."
"Divorce is not an option. We have to define the terms of the future. We have to live together across our differences," Newsom told Amanpour.
Representatives for Newsom did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI sent outside regular business hours.
To be sure, the support for Newsom on Weibo wasn't unanimous. Some believed that, given his record running California, Newsom would be a disastrous replacement candidate.
"If Newsom becomes President, the US will be even more screwed. Just look at at the homeless people and illegal immigrants running around San Francisco and Los Angeles," one user wrote in a comment to Zheng Jun's post.
"Throw in those high taxes and the US will eventually turn into a place that exploits the middle class while raising homeless people," the comment added.
Dealing with homelessness in California has been a significant priority for Newsom. The Golden State has long housed a disproportionate share of the nation's homeless population.
According to a study by the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative at the University of California, San Francisco, the state makes up less than 12% of the nation's total population but is home to 30% of people experiencing homelessness.
Rumblings of a potential Newsom ticket have grown after Biden's disastrous performance at last week's presidential debate. The 81-year-old's exchanges with his GOP rival, former President Donald Trump was riddled with gaffes and stumbles.
Newsom, for his part, has continued to brush aside calls for him to replace Biden on the ballot.
"You don't turn your back because of one performance. What kind of party does that?" Newsom told MSNBC's Alex Wagner on Thursday. "The president has delivered. We need to deliver for him at this moment."
