Gavin Newsom Strikes Back at Trump for 'Disgraceful' Debate Rumor

In the background, Governor of California Gavin Newsom attends a press conference in Beijing on October 25, 2023. In the cut out, former President Donald Trump speaks at the Faith & Freedom Coalition's Road to Majority Policy Conference at the Washington Hilton on June 22, 2024, in Washington, D.C.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said that spreading a rumor about President Joe Biden using performance-enhancing drugs prior to the first 2024 presidential debate was "a disgraceful tactic."

Speaking with reporters outside of the debate site in Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday evening, the California Democrat specifically took a hit at former President Donald Trump, who has pushed baseless claims that Biden was on drugs during his strong performance at the State of the Union address in March. Trump has also joined calls for Biden to take a drug test before the two candidates take the debate stage.

"It's beneath contempt," Newsom said Thursday of the rumor, according to a report from The Hill. "It's a disgraceful tactic."

The governor added that Trump's claims were "just typical of somebody who's a bit unhinged."

Newsweeksent an email to Trump's campaign team Thursday evening for comment.

Biden, who at 81 years old is the oldest sitting president in U.S. history, has been repeatedly criticized by Republicans for his gaffes during public events, and some critics have raised concerns about his ability to serve another four-year term.

Trump recently turned 78 years old, and some people close to him have suggested that his mental sharpness may be on the decline.

Polling has shown that the majority of American voters have concerns about both candidates' age and ability to serve again.

White House spokesperson Andrew Bates previously dismissed baseless claims about Biden taking drugs prior to his State of the Union, telling Politico in May, "It's telling that Republican officials are unable to stop announcing how intimidated they remain by [the] President's State of the Union performance."

The Defense Department previously found that Trump's White House Medical Unit did not comply with federal regulations for prescription drugs during the former president's term. According to a report from the department released in January, the drugs handed out to ineligible staff members included controlled substances and stimulants.

Biden's campaign has poked fun at rumors about him using illicit drugs. In a post to X, formerly Twitter, about 30 minutes before Thursday's debate kicked up, the president posted a photo of a can of "Dark Brandon's Secret Sauce," which according to Biden's campaign website is made up of "100% water, 0% malarkey." The campaign is selling them for $4.60 a can.

"I don't know what they've got in these performance enhancers, but I'm feeling pretty jacked up," read Biden's post to X. "Try it yourselves, folks."

Both candidates are heading into debate night in a tight race for president. A recent poll from The New York Timesand Siena College gave Trump a four-point lead over Biden if voters had to cast a ballot now. The same poll, however, found that a majority of Americans have a "somewhat unfavorable" or "very unfavorable" opinion of Biden and Trump.

Polling analysis site FiveThirtyEight said that as of Thursday afternoon, Biden and Trump have nearly equal chances of winning the 2024 presidential election. When ran through a simulation, Biden won the election 50 out of 100 times, while Trump won 49 out of 100.

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