President Joe Biden is “fully committed” to the campaign, said California Gov. Gavin Newsom, one of more than 20 Democratic governors who met with the president at the White House on Wednesday night.
“All I've heard from the President is one thing: he's committed, and so am I. Joe Biden has had our backs, now it's his turn to have his back,” Newsom said in a statement.
At the meeting, the governors wanted to hear frankly from Biden about his upcoming reelection effort and to hear what he plans to say about himself and his campaign to the American people. Leaving the meeting, New York Governor Kathy Hockle said the Democratic governors support Biden.
“And we all pledged to support him because the stakes couldn't be higher,” she told reporters.
Haukl added that with former President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, the US is in danger of slipping back into “monarchy and tyranny.”
“We stand with the president as he fights against that power, the power that is Donald Trump,” she said.
Haukl was joined by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who described the meeting as “candid.”
Moore said state governors had conveyed to the president the concerns they had received from citizens following Biden's poor debate performance.
“As we stand here right now, we know we're behind,” Moore later added, “but we also know that we're on a real path to a strong lead in November. And it's going to take all of us to make it happen and succeed. I'm grateful to hear how excited and focused the President and Vice President are about winning in November.”
He added: “In November, we will have a choice between two options. [is] With someone [has] He has worked tirelessly for us, our state and the people of our state, but frankly, his vision for the future of our country is downright dangerous.”
Walz, who serves as chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, also voiced his support for the president.
“The governors support the president and we're working together to make that very clear. The path to victory in November is the No. 1 priority, and that's the president's No. 1 priority,” Walz said.
Biden's widely criticized performance in Thursday's presidential debate has prompted more Democratic governors to call for better communication and, surprisingly, some of those scheduled to participate had been talked about as potential replacements for Biden if he decided to drop out.
ABC News previously confirmed that governors planning to attend include Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Governor Newsom, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Governor Hockle, Governor Walz, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee, Governor Moore and Delaware Governor John Carney.
Others expected to attend online included New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers did not attend but is scheduled to appear with Biden at an event in Wisconsin on Friday.
A spokesperson for Governor Evers wrote to X that the Governor did not attend the meeting because he is “focused on moving forward and winning in Wisconsin.”
Evers spokeswoman Britt Kudaback said the governor looks forward to campaigning with Biden this Friday.
“He supports President Biden. His statements in support of the president over the past week speak for themselves, and he looks forward to campaigning with the president on Friday,” Kudaback said.
Following Wednesday's meeting, the Biden campaign released a statement summarizing the discussion.
Biden's campaign said he had sought the “counsel and expertise” of the Democratic governors as he remains determined to defeat President Donald Trump in this fall's election.
“Tonight, President Biden and Vice President Harris met with Democratic governors from across the nation at the White House to discuss our continued collaboration in this re-election campaign. The President reiterated his commitment to defeating the existential threat of Donald Trump at the polls in November and sought the governors' counsel and expertise,” the campaign said in a statement.
“In addition to defeating Donald Trump, the meeting also focused on the importance of electing more Democratic governors and Democrats to both houses of Congress to ensure Democratic majorities in state legislatures and state legislatures across the country,” the statement continued. “All participants reiterated their shared commitment to doing everything in their power to ensure President Biden and Vice President Harris defeat Donald Trump in November.”
Wednesday's meeting came after Democratic governors held a conference call on Monday to discuss Biden's debate performance, a national Democratic official familiar with the call confirmed to ABC News. Multiple sources told ABC News the call wasn't made out of any concern about Biden's performance, but simply to “communicate” about the debate.
Since then, some governors have framed it as a general assembly and have spoken out about the discussion there as well.
“Democratic governors have seen how the accomplishments of the Biden-Harris Administration are directly benefiting their residents and have been some of the President and Vice President's most active and vocal supporters. The Biden-Harris Administration team has been in constant communication with the governors and their teams, including meeting yesterday,” Democratic officials said in a statement.
–ABC News' Zohreen Shah, Isabella Murray and Brittany Shepherd contributed to this report.
