President Biden Holds Long Beach Campaign Rally With Gov. Newsom On Eve Of Recall Election
LONG BEACH (CBSLA) – President Joe Biden traveled to Long Beach Monday to campaign with California Gov. Gavin Newsom one day before the governor's recall election.
Newsom and Biden appeared together at a rally at Long Beach City College.
"We need science, we need courage, we need leadership, we need Gavin Newsom," Biden said during the approximately 15-minute address.
"A governor who follows science, who's got the courage to do what's right," Biden said.
Biden sought to tie supporters of the recall to former President Donald Trump.
""You either keep Gavin Newsom as your governor or you get Donald Trump," Biden told the crowd of approximately 1,100, which included L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, soon to be Biden's ambassador to India, and Sen. Alex Padilla.
"The choice should be absolutely clear," Biden reiterated. "Gavin Newsom. You have a governor who has the courage to lead."
This marked Biden's first visit to the Golden State since becoming president. He arrived at Long Beach Airport aboard Air Force One a little after 6 p.m. and exited the plane with Newsom trailing him. There were dozens of pro-Trump protesters outside the rally as Biden's motorcade pulled in.
Biden spent Monday night in Long Beach and departed Long Beach Airport Tuesday morning.
The rally was the last of Newsom's campaign to attempt to defeat the recall effort. Newsom campaigned in Northern California last Wednesday with Vice President Kamala Harris. Tuesday is the deadline for voters statewide to cast a ballot or return their vote-by-mail ballot.
"We've never had a sitting president visit our campus before. We've been visited by Sen. Clinton and Sen. Sanders in recent years, but this is the first time we're having a sitting president visiting Long Beach City College," Long Beach Community College District Interim President Dr. Mike Munoz told CBSLA Monday morning.
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Republican talk show host Larry Elder, the leader in the polls to replace Newsom if the recall is successful, dismissed the high-level support for the governor.
"If Gavin Newsom thinks that flying in Joe Biden and Kamala Harris -- not exactly the most admired government officials at the present time -- will make him look better, that's all you need to know about how oblivious and detached Newsom is from a large majority of Californians."
Elder attended a pair of events in the Los Angeles area on Monday, with another stop planned in San Pedro Monday afternoon and a volunteer rally planned in Costa Mesa Monday night.
During a Monday morning appearance in Monterey Park, Elder repeated many of the recall's themes -- criticism of Newsom's handling of issues such as homelessness, crime and the COVID-19 pandemic, accusing him of "ignoring science" in the imposition of business and school closures.
The recall ballot contains only two questions: should Newsom be removed from office, and if so, who should replace him?
If 50% or more voters respond "no" to the first question, Newsom will remain in office, and the results of the second question will be irrelevant. If more than 50% of people vote "yes" on the first question, Newsom will be removed from office and replaced with the candidate who receives the most votes in the second question on the ballot.
The city of Long Beach, meanwhile, issued a traffic advisory and shut down several major streets through noon Tuesday throughout the city. Road blocks were in place around the Long Beach Convention Center.
"Long Beach lit up in red, white & blue the evening before the president's visit," Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia tweeted late Sunday night.
The Long Beach stop is part of a three-state trip by Biden, who first traveled to Boise, Idaho, on Monday to visit the National Interagency Fire Center, followed by a stop in Northern California to survey damage from the devastating Caldor Fire, which has destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands of people to flee.
On Tuesday, Biden is scheduled to travel to Denver to tout his "Build Back Better" economic recovery agenda.
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
