Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer pushed back against reports she warned the Biden campaign that the president could no longer win Michigan after his poor debate performance.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer took to social media to call out critics who say President Biden cannot win the swing state of Michigan.
"Anyone who claims I would say that we can’t win Michigan is full of shit," Whitmer said in a post on X Monday. "Let’s go."
The post comes after a Politico report Monday detailing a call between Michigan’s Democratic governor and Biden’s campaign, with Whitmer allegedly telling the president’s camp that her state could not be won after Biden’s poor performance in last week’s debate.
BIDEN'S INNER CIRCLE SILENT AS PARTY REELS FOLLOWING ‘EMBARRASSING’ DEBATE PERFORMANCE
The call, which Politico reported was between Whitmer and Biden campaign Chair Jennifer O’Malley, centered around frustration Whitmer had that she was now being raised as a possible replacement for Biden in the race after his debate performance.
A source told Politico that Whitmer disavowed any effort to force Biden out of the race, though another source added that the governor warned the campaign she believed the state was no longer winnable for the president.
The apparent call echoed the reaction of many Democrats after Biden’s debate performance, which immediately set of a wave of concern that the president is too old and weak to compete with former President Trump in November.
The Biden campaign, however, has pushed back against the narrative forcefully, insisting that the president will stay in the race and expressing a more optimistic tone about his standing in the race.
Meanwhile, some prominent Democrats have rushed to the president’s defense amid the sudden panic, with former House Majority Whip James Clayburn, D-S.C., doubling down for his support of Biden and arguing that his poor debate performance was due to "preparation overload."
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., also defended Biden after the debate, arguing that voters will notice Trump’s dishonestly more than any shortcomings the president displayed.
"The fact is, the reaction to the lies of Donald Trump is something that… people are focusing on, and to have a debate where you have to spend half your time negating what he said because he knows nothing about the truth," Pelosi said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday. "On one side of the screen you have integrity and on one side you have dishonesty."
