Vice President Kamala Harris is developing a new fan base: white dudes.

As her presidential campaign ramps up, a group of white men formed a coalition known as "White Dudes for Harris."

The group plans to kick off Monday night via a virtual call that will feature speakers including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D), singer Josh Groban, actor Mark Hamill, and others.

"Together, we aren’t going to sit around and let the MAGA crowd bully other white guys into voting for a hateful and divisive ideology because we understand that under MAGA everyone loses," the RSVP page for Monday's call reads. "We know that as white dudes, we have both a strong, and positive role to play in America’s shared future, and it begins with all of us cutting through the MAGA crap and reminding the folks who have co-opted American symbols what America actually means."

White Dudes for Harris also launched a $35 hat with its slogan ahead of the meeting.

The group said that nearly 80,000 people have RSVP'd and it collectively raised more than $300,000 in support of Harris' campaign.

What do Democrats think about White Dudes for Harris?

Democratic influencers and those planning to attend the call praised the initial organizing.

"Tonight's call represents a promising attempt to create a movement and a permission structure to lift many white dudes out of the MAGA whirlpool they've gotten sucked into," wrote one person on X. "It will allow for tough but necessary conversations that can create healing, movement, and unity around Kamala Harris and Democratic candidates like her."

He continued: "The guys organizing tonight’s call were inspired by the Black women and men, as well as all the other folks, who've organized calls over the last week. White men haven't organized ourselves well around Democratic values, which has been detrimental to the country and our ability to win elections."

Joked the pro-Democrat account VoteDarkBrandon: "Folks—white boy summer is here," riffing on the right-wing attempts to claim the phrase.

At the same time, critics of Harris were quick to put the group on blast.

Some accounts posted images of transgender women while making fun of the initiative, while others took digs at the manliness of the attendees.

"White dudes for Harris?? The Democrats return to their segregationist roots," slammed one person.

"If you belong to 'White Dudes for Harris', you've turned in your man card and didn't even realize it," snarked someone else.

"These dudes would be melting down if there was a 'White Dudes for Trump,'" mused another person.

Asked one user: "How beta-male can you be?"

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The term “Thanks Obama” appeared as an online trend at least on Twitter as early as late 2008—even before he was inaugurated president. And in those early days, users set the rules for how it would be used as a meme—unsurprisingly, his supporters use it with sincerity, and his detractors with sarcasm.

But it might have stayed small scale had it not been for an independent conservative political blog in December of 2009. In what may have been the original “Thanks Obama” meme, the blog “Authentic Connecticut Republican” turned it into an image macro for the first time.

Use of the word “thanks” in this case was obviously sarcastic because in the post, the author claims that the 44th president spent people’s lunch money, allowance, inheritance, paychecks, and retirement savings. 

This gave it more visibility, ultimately gaining more traction over time, and ultimately, it was used as a punch line of sorts in a short comedy sketch by YouTube channel “FilmCow” a year and a half later, in March of 2011.

By August of that year, it was trending on quickmeme, and it went on to become as popular as other memes of the day including Scumbag Steve, First World Problems, Business Cat, and more.

As you might expect, the popularity of “Thanks Obama” peaks at moments related to his presidency. 

The last week of January 2013 was a busy one for the White House because it included two mass shootings, while almost simultaneously Obama outlined a new vision for immigration reform.

In October of that year, the United States federal government shut down due to a political standoff around Obamacare, and in January 2017, he left office after 8 years and two terms.

But the highest peak ever in search interest for “Thanks Obama” had to do with a video and associated article posted to BuzzFeed. In a February 2015 segment called “Things People Do and Doesn’t Talk About,” Obama himself appeared on-camera, promoting Healthcare.gov. They too got in on the joke.

After Donald Trump's first State of the Union address, Twitter users began un-ironically saying “Thanks, Obama” en masse, in a rebrand of sorts. They pointed out that a lot of the things Trump took credit for in the speech actually happened as a result of the Obama administration.

Over the years, Thanks Obama has gotten its own Tumblr blog and subreddit. It also sparked a spin-off hashtag, #ThanksMichelleObama, in which people complain about the low quality of school lunches. 

While not “Thanks Obama” verbatim, though in the same spirit, it also got a spoof of John Cleese’s famous “What have the Romans ever done for us?” speech. Posted to Imgur in April of 2020, it ultimately gained over 11.8 million views.

No matter which side of the aisle you fall on, you’ve got to admit Thanks Obama is a pretty catchy phrase. It's a pretty natural tendency to look for a scapegoat, and maybe even more so to want to vindicate someone we adore and admire. As for all the fun this meme has created, maybe the best thing we can say is “Thanks Obama.”

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House Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) posted a video to X on Wednesday explaining why she’s opposing a rule that would mandate finger-detection technology for table-saws, which could potentially stop over 4,000 amputations and 30,000 injuries a year.

"A new rule mandating finger-detection technology in table saws could raise costs by hundreds of dollars and result in a government-mandated monopoly," the lawmaker wrote on X. "I introduced a bipartisan bill to protect consumer choice and block this mandate until the patents for this tech are made public."

The pushback, however, was swift. Gluesenkamp Perez was accused of blocking an important safeguard, and, perhaps jokingly, of being in the pocket of "Big Saw."

“Idk man. I think people getting to keep their fingers is good,” posted @jake_jmc20985.

For her part, Gluesenkamp Perez says she opposes the rule because it could raise the cost of table saws by hundreds of dollars and create “a government-mandated monopoly” for the company behind the technology, SawStop.

SawStop’s technology stops and retracts the table-saw blade as soon as it detects an electrical signal from a finger. But that technology costs hundreds more than other low-cost models, reported the New York Times in March, and only captures about 2% of the market.

In November, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), a US government agency, proposed a regulation which would require finger-detection technology in home and industrial table saws within three years.

According to Gluesenkamp Perez, because the patents behind that technology are currently held by SawStop, the law could create a virtual monopoly for the company given that when the rule goes into effect, they’ll be the only ones with a compliant product on the market.

SawStop has pledged to make the patent on their technology free to the public as soon as the rule goes into effect. But Gluesenkamp Perez and Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC) argued while introducing a bill opposing the rule change that only making the patent available when the change goes into effect wouldn’t give companies time to design their own products to comply with the rule. Their bill proposes that the rule not go into effect until five years after the patents have been released to the public or expired.

CPSC acknowledged in a discussion of the rule that for small manufacturers to design their own version of the technology it would cost a minimum of several hundred thousand dollars, and up to several million dollars. And while SawStop releasing their patent could give companies a break if they wait until the rule goes into effect to start designing a new product, some manufacturers told the agency that retooling new table saw models to include the finger-detecting technology could cost between $100,000 and $700,000 per model and take 1 to 3 years to carry out.

CSPC Commissioner Richard L. Trumka Jr. said in a statement in February that SawStop pledging to release the patent removed “a key obstacle” to selling saws with the finger detecting technology.

“While the power tool industry’s lobbyists will likely pivot to new arguments against CPSC’s proposed rule, the public should remember that their grumblings about SawStop’s patent being an impediment are moot,” Trumka said. “Manufacturers have many ways to comply with CPSC’s proposed performance requirements for table saws, now including the use of previously patented technology.”

He went on to praise “robust competitive pressures” and an “active market” which would drive down the cost of the table saws.

That sort of narrative made up the bulk of the response to Gluesenkamp Perez’ video on X.

“StopSaw’s competitors have been negligent in refusing to develop their own competing tech. You shouldn’t let that negligence constrain policy making,” wrote @CSwampthing, taking a more serious tone.

But other posters took a more digit-less appendage in your face tack.

“Hi ma'am. Greatly respect your work on allowing fingers to be cut off. Thank you,” posted @LaborPal.

“‘You should cut off your own fingers!’ is quite a platform to run on,” riffed @jonvankin.

Others pushed back on the jokes, promoting a free-market case for opposing the law.

“Preventing government overreach regulating every detail of our lives is a good thing,” wrote @cooper_logan in response to a joke.

And some thought there might be a middle ground.

“You know you could support a subsidy or a tax incentive instead of letting folks get maimed in accidents 🤷‍♂️,” posted @AnthonyMKreis.

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Ming Cabrera, running to be the Democratic nominee in Montana's second district congressional race, announced on Monday that he was being defamed in private Facebook messages. The woman behind the messages, former Montana state Rep. Jessica Karjala (D), says she was simply trying to tell voters that Cabrera "has a history of misogynistic behavior."

Karjala isn't alone in her criticisms of Cabrera, who denies allegations of misogynistic behavior and says he has submitted a complaint about Karjala to Montana's Commissioner of Political Practices.

Montana's Democratic primary election is on June 4.

In a tweet posted Monday evening, Cabrera said the executive director of Footloose Montana, a non-profit that protects wildlife in the state, intervened with the congressional primary election by "mass messaging through Facebook Messenger with defamatory messages that include threats and intimidation to vote against one of the Democratic candidates."

Karjala is Footloose Montana's executive director.

"I am saddened and very disappointed to hear that the Executive Director of Footloose Montana, a prominent 501c3 non-profit here in Montana, has decided to intervene in the Democratic primary election for Montana’s 2nd Congressional District," Cabrera tweeted. "I urge Footloose Montana, the Democratic Party of Montana, and the Secretary of the State of Montana to investigate this behavior thoroughly and ensure this primary election is done respectfully and kindly."

Cabrera is a former pharmaceutical representative who served as chair of the Yellowstone County Democrats in Billings, Montana and on a local water board.

Both he and Karjala shared screenshots of the messages in question with the Daily Dot.

On Monday evening, Karjala sent a Facebook message to David Graves, a former Montana State Senate Democratic candidate, encouraging him to not vote for Cabrera because he had called her and another woman "f***ing b***es."

"I encourage you to vote for Held or Hamm," Karjala wrote. Kevin Hamm and Steve Held are two of Cabrera's opponents in the Democratic congressional primary.

According to screenshots, when Graves told Karjala that he planned to vote for Cabrera, she said that if she had known that, she "would not have supported" his 2018 state senate race.

"Thank you for going on the record," Karjala messaged Graves. "I will keep this conversation handy for when it's needed."

Graves told the Daily Dot he “felt threatened” by Karjala’s messages.

“She’s going out there on social media… telling people who to vote for. That’s what I felt like,” Graves said. “Politics is getting so out of control that people have to be so dang negative and aggressive and stuff, it’s unreal.”

Another screenshot provided by Karjala shows that that same night, Karjala posted in a private Facebook group called "Billings Rises," which focuses on political issues and gender.

"If you haven't filled out your primary ballot yet, specifically for HD 2 Eastern Congressional primary, please [private message] me," Karjala posted. "I have something important to share that could influence your vote."

In an interview with the Daily Dot, Cabrera denied that he ever called Karjala or another woman "f***ing b***es," and said all the allegations Karjala made are untrue.

"She doesn't like me," Cabrera said of Karjala.

Cabrera's campaign manager, Kenneth Lavendar, went a step further and said Karjala is using her influence as a former state legislator and the executive director of a non-profit to attack Cabrera.

"Even if she is doing this as a private citizen, people who normally wouldn't return her phone calls are because they're assuming it's coming with from Footloose or in her reputation and name," Lavendar said.

For her part, Karjala told the Daily Dot that her Facebook messages were sent from her personal account in her capacity as an individual citizen, and were not on behalf of Footloose Montana. She added that she contacted Graves to give him information about Cabrera.

"Private messages sent during off hours are just that—private, individual conversations," Karjala told the Daily Dot. "I contacted someone whom I had supported in the past when they ran for the legislature around 7 p.m. via my personal Facebook account on Facebook Messenger. I thought [Graves] would want to make an informed vote."

As for her experience with Cabrera, Karjala reiterated her claims that he called her and another woman "f***ing b***es." She also said he screamed at her and the other woman and vandalized a gubernatorial candidate's campaign banner. Cabrera has said that everything Karjala said about him is untrue.

"Mr. Cabrera has a history of misogynistic behavior that cannot be overlooked," Karjala told the Daily Dot. "Speaking as an eight-year former elected official I know what we need to see from candidates. We need thoughtful approaches when dealing with people."

Further, Karjala said Cabrera's "record of misogyny makes him unfit for any office."

Cabrera has denied any misogynistic behavior.

Others have spoken publicly about Cabrera's behavior, too. Richard Fifield, who is purportedly a Montana voter, tweeted that Cabrera called people b***es, destroyed property, and was misogynistic.

"This is just deflection and distraction," Fifield replied to Cabrera's tweet about Karjala's Facebook messages. "We are still waiting for you to apologize for misogyny, property destruction, and assault. Real victims. The primary is soon, @MTDems—any info makes for an informed voter."

Jonathan McNiven, another former state legislator, wrote about Cabrera's alleged behavior. In an April column titled, in part, "Ming Cabrera Needs to Resign," McNiven claimed that Cabrera called the police to try to have a fellow water board member physically removed from sitting with other board members at meetings. Cabrera acknowledged that he called the police on a board member, but said it was with just cause and that he wasn't alone in wanting the board member removed.

"People like Ming, they seem to feel justified in causing heartache and chaos for others even when they know it’s wrong," McNiven wrote. "With all due respect, Mr. Cabrera needs to step down from the Heights Water Board."

Cabrera's public image contrasts starkly with the allegations against him (which he has denied). In a recent interview with local outlet KTVH, he said his campaign is about love and finding common ground.

"It's the best way to get the message [out]—to talk to the people," Cabrera told KTVH. "What they have to do is look at me and see that it's my heart. That I believe we can bring love back into the community."

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Deplatformed is a weekly column that looks into the nether reaches of the internet—outside the big few that everyone already covers—to tell you the political discourse online. It runs on Thursdays in the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter. If you want to get this column a day before we publish it, subscribe to web_crawlr, where you’ll get the daily scoop of internet culture delivered straight to your inbox.

There has been no shortage of gaffes by President Joe Biden since he took office nearly four years ago. From stumbling up the stairs of Air Force One, to aimlessly wandering off stage at events, to tripping over his own words, rarely a day goes by where Biden doesn’t do something that gets flagged by his critics.

There’s an entire cottage industry dedicated to cataloging them. The GOP’s rapid response X account, RNC Research, documents nearly all of them, and now has over a half-million followers.

But, perhaps because of Biden’s disposition, or bias on social media, the behavior never seems to cut through and permanently affix itself to the president in the way that criticism of former President Donald Trump always seemed to.

Except for one clip of Biden, which the internet loves, and which recirculates with regularity: Biden calling Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg “Secretary Booty Juice. “

In spring 2023, the nation’s airlines were beset by cancellations and delays, a spate of travel disasters that left consumers furious. In response, the White House launched a new initiative to hold airlines accountable.

Buttigieg kicked off a presser calling the rates of cancellations and delays in recent months “unacceptable,” flagging a disastrous Southwest Christmas season before introducing Biden.

“Thank you, Secretary …” Well, the internet heard BootyJuice. And the clip won’t ever go away.

Every couple of months on TikTok, the clip goes viral, and predictably people begin losing it. 

Videos of the clip have racked up nearly ten million views on the site, with Trump supporters blind dueting it and breaking out in fits of laughter when they hear Biden speak. But it isn’t just on TikTok.

Head to any pro-Trump platform on any given week and you’ll see the clip being reshared to shock and delight.

The moniker has stuck for Buttigieg as well. While never a darling of conservatives, he’s faced especially strong ire over a series of transportation disasters—like the East Palestine train derailment—which have happened under his watch.

He’s gotten called it while people have criticized him for the Baltimore bridge collapse.

“Tugs on the ship would have prevented this. Guess who funds the Tugs? Secretary Pete Bootyjuice. The DOT cut the tug budget 40%. The Tugs would have been able to slow / even stop the ship.”

As well as news of a recent barge collision in Ohio.

“Isn’t it odd that under biden and pete bootyjuice we have destruction of rail roads, airlines, bridges and dams ? COINCIDENCE ? Looks like ignorance and incompetent planned bureaucracy,” said one.

And over a series of close calls between airlines which went viral this past year.

“AGAIN?! WHAT THE HELL IS BOOTYJUICE DOING?!”

Others have turned it into a “Beetlejuice” type shibboleth.

“Bootyjuice, bootyjuice, bootyjuice!”

Will repeating it summon the Transportation Secretary to your side? Well, the next time an airline bumps you without a warning, give it a try. 

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When the winner of the Democratic primary in American Samoa was announced Tuesday, it wasn't President Joe Biden.

Running essentially unopposed, Biden has been racking up Super Tuesday victories left and right. But he didn't make it a complete sweep.

No, Biden lost American Samoa.

And to who, well, no one knows.

"WHO IS JASON PALMER?????" demanded one X user.

Palmer’s own website acknowledges that he’s a “longshot candidate” with “very little chance of winning,” who’s only running to change the conversation. His out-of-the-blue appearance when the news hit of his win certainly provoked plenty of conversation about who the hell he was.

“You’re probably wondering, who is this Jason Palmer, I’ve never heard of him before,” Palmer said in a video posted on his campaign YouTube channel. “Well, on the mainland, I’m actually very well known as an education technology leader, investor and executive.”

Palmer’s campaign website also has a Palmer.AI to help explain.

“Jason Palmer is an entrepreneur, impact investor, and philanthropist. He was born on December 1, 1971, in Aberdeen, Maryland” an AI version with Palmer will tell you. “He is running for President of the United States in 2024 as a Democratic candidate.

But online, no one believed it.

“Jason Palmer rolled American Samoa by telling them he's actually really popular over here,” posted @KateHydeNY on X in reaction to the video.

According to Palmer’s Linkedin page, Palmer has been involved in a variety of Edtech initiatives, as well as holding board and executive positions for education companies like Regent Education and Kaplan.

“I’ve been a lifelong student of foreign affairs,” Palmer wrote on his website. “Fareed Zakaria, Thomas Friedman, and Nicholas Kristof are some of my favorite writers on the subject. My Quaker faith always leads me to prioritize peace and saving lives first. As a beacon of hope in the world, the United States must seek not to enflame global conflicts, and we should not try to be the world’s policeman.”

Plenty of people joked about Palmer's win in American Samoa being the product of a sophisticated stealth campaign that played out behind all of our backs.

“jason palmer laying grassroots in american samoa for weeks while nobody noticed,” quipped @Atom_M0ther.

“Jason Palmer, you have shocked the nation,” joked @ItsTanbirC.

Others joked Biden would be coming for him immediately.

Palmer, who beat Biden by 11 votes, 51-40, was also touted as an example of some of the surprising ways the island territory has voted in past Democratic nomination contests.

“American Samoa Democrats major in trolling the Democratic presidential primary,” posted @geoffreyvs. “First, they vote for Bloomberg in 2020, now complete nobody Jason Palmer. Incredible stuff.”

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Conservatives are crying foul after U.S. Capitol Police announced on Thursday that a Democrat staffer who filmed a sex tape in the Senate would not face charges.

In a statement to the public, the law enforcement agency revealed that the investigation would be closed after prosecutors determined that no crime had been committed.

"For now, we are closing the investigation into the facts and circumstances surrounding a sex video that was recorded inside the Hart Senate Office Building on the morning of Wednesday, December 13," the police said. "After consulting with federal and local prosecutors, as well as doing a comprehensive investigation and review of possible charges, it was determined that — despite a likely violation of Congressional policy — there is currently no evidence that a crime was committed."

The statement went on to note that although the room had been closed to the public, the staffer was able to gain access due to their position. Police added that the two individuals believed to be involved, including the staffer who was fired after the controversy broke, "were not cooperative" and invoked their Fifth Amendment right to remain silent.

The sex tape was first revealed back in December after a copy was leaked to the conservative outlet the Daily Caller. The staffer was later identified as Aidan Maese-Czeropski, an aide to Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Maryland).

The announcement from the Capitol Police quickly stirred outrage among conservatives, who pointed to the charges made against those who stormed the Capitol in 2021 as evidence of bias.

"You aren't allowed to walk around peacefully in the Capitol, but you can film hardcore gay pornography and broadcast it, that's totally fine," one right-wing influencer said. "This is the US govt."

Others pointed to Richard Barnett, the man who infamously placed his feet on the desk of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) during the Capitol riot. Although Barnett brought a stun gun into the building and stole an envelope off of Pelosi's desk, conservatives nevertheless argued that the staffer should face similar charges.

"You can film yourself having gay sex on a Capitol desk, but if you put your feet up on one you get four years in prison," one user said.

Numerous users also made note of Jacob Chansley, also known as the QAnon Shaman, who became one of the best-known faces of the riot after breaching the Capitol.

"Jacob Chansley spent 310 days in solitary before he took a plea deal then was sentenced to 41 months in prison for saying a prayer in the Senate chamber.

References were also made to a recent incident in which a Christian man from Mississippi was charged with a hate crime after admittedly destroying a Satanic monument in the Iowa Capitol that was protected by religious liberty laws.

"Same country where hating Satan is a crime," another added.

Many simply decried the act as indecent and noted that President Joe Biden had previously said that his administration would reestablish norms and decency in the White House.

"Norm restored," commentator Stephen L. Miller said.

The Capitol Police say their investigators are willing to review new evidence related to the incident if any becomes available.

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Long-shot Democratic presidential candidate Dean Phillips (D-MN) was mocked on Christmas after a post on X where he asked potential voters to “imagine waking-up January 21, 2025 with a President who grew up listening to U2 and watching MTV on a color television.”

Phillips, who’s polling at 10% in New Hampshire according to a University of New Hampshire poll last month, launched his campaign at the end of October, campaigning as a supporter of Biden who nevertheless believes that the president is too old to win reelection against the likely Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Phillips, who was first elected in 2018, flipped a long-time Republican House seat blue and quickly began mixing with Democratic Party leadership. He was elected one of three co-chairs of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee last year.

Since launching his primary campaign, though, his reputation has plummeted in the Democratic Party, where members worry that his attacks on Biden’s age echo Trump’s own rhetoric and could damage Biden in the general election, according to reporting by Axios.

"Dean Phillips is not going to win any primary. I think he's not helpful to the country," former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told Axios.

Phillips has also criticized Biden and the Democratic Party after state parties circled their wagons around the incumbent’s reelection campaign. In Florida, the state party made Biden the only candidate on their ballot.

Phillips said “yes” earlier this month to a reporter asking him if he thinks Biden is a threat to democracy, reported the Washington Post.

"President Biden is running against an actual real live threat to democracy," Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) told the Post. “A person who literally just said yesterday he would be a dictator on Day One. And Dean Phillips is saying the candidate for president — who he by the way voted with 100 percent of the time or thereabouts — is a threat to democracy? It sounds desperate.”

“Desperate” was how most people reacted to Phillips’ tweet telling voters that he grew up listening to U2 and watching MTV in color.

“This might be the most desperate post you’ve ever made. Sad,” said @travisakers, posting a gif of the Steve Buscemi How Do You Do, Fellow Kids? meme.

“Perfect meme,” replied @flyfishmich. “Even though I started listening to U2 before they were cool, I don't think I even qualify for class president, much less POTUS.”

Plenty of posters agreed, rationing Phillips’ post.

“I'd rather wake up with a president with experience that actually qualifies him for the job. I watched MTV, too, but I wouldn't put it on my resume,” commented @Leslieoo7.

“I said the same thing,” added @MerrittKelly1. “It's not a damn qualification!”

Others still questioned the efficacy of appealing to young voters by sharing nostalgia for the 80s, which were already over three decades ago.

“80’s nostalgia to appeal to the youths of America is a bold move,” posted @Kathlee71013772.

“Lol…” added @dizzygirl812. “this guy thinking he could appeal to Gen X with this bullshit.”

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President Joe Biden drew laughs at a speech he gave near an auto plant in Belvedere, Illinois about the successfully negotiated United Auto Workers (UAW) union’s new contract with automakers, which the White House had supported.

Biden walked on a picket line with UAW workers in September in support of their strike for a “significant raise … and other benefits.”

“The wealthy and big corporations have done just fine, but the rest of us were cut out that deal,” Biden said in the speech. “Look, I see it differently. I don't look at the economy through the eyes of Wall Street and Park Avenue. I look it through the eyes of the people I grew up with in Scranton, in Pennsylvania, in Claremont, Delaware. My guess is that's how Shawn looks at the two people he grew up with in Kokomo.”

Biden was referencing Shawn Fain, the president of UAW who led the negotiations that ended the strike and got the contract Biden was celebrating.

“American workers are ready to work harder than anybody else, but they just need to be given a shot,” Biden continued. “A fair shot and a fair wage. That's not too much to ask—” before being cut off by the sound of a bump like somebody falling. 

“You OK?” Biden asked, turning his head. 

“I want the press to know that wasn't me,” Biden quipped before stepping to the side and miming himself falling over.

Over the past couple of years Biden, who at age 80 is the oldest sitting president, has taken a couple of tumbles, leading critics to question whether he’s mentally and physically fit enough to serve as president or run for reelection.

“You watch Joe Biden over in Europe,” quipped Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) in July. "I mean, I’m afraid he’s going to fall down every time I turn on the television.”

On X, the moment was shared by Biden supporters as a moment of relatable, light humor and a good move in response to criticism of his age.

“He reminds me so much of my Grandpa it freaks me out,” wrote one user. “Especially the bit at the end.”

“Biden mocking the ‘lost walk’ showing me he’s still got enough juice for the general,” said another.

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Gavin Newsom is the Democratic governor of California, and may soon be at the height of the party, as he's been beset by rampant 2024 speculation.

Newsom, 54, is subject to frequent debate about whether he’ll run for president on the Democratic ticket—including rumors and conspiracy theories that he’ll take over as the nominee for the party if something happens to President Joe Biden, who turns 81 this November.

Who is Gavin Newsom?

Newsom has been governor of California since 2018. Before he made it to the top position in California politics, he was lieutenant governor of California for two terms. According to his official biography, Newsom “got involved in politics in 1995 as a volunteer for Willie Brown’s campaign for mayor of San Francisco. Mayor Brown appointed Newsom first to a vacancy on the Parking and Traffic Commission and in 1997, to a vacant seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors."

He then ran for and was elected mayor of San Francisco in 2003.

Newsom gained some national prominence in 2004, when he challenged the same-sex marriage ban in California by directing the San Francisco city-county clerk to give marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Before getting into politics, Newsom “earned a small fortune as a wine entrepreneur,” reported the New York Times. Newsom’s wine store business was called the PlumpJack Group, and he started it with backing from Gordon Getty, heir to the Getty oil fortune, according to the Orange County Register.

Newsom grew up in a well-connected San Francisco family, and once he entered California politics quickly became a political celebrity.

He used to be married to now prominent Trump supporter Kimberly Guilfoyle, who’s been engaged to Donald Trump Jr. since New Year’s Eve in 2020.

The couple met in 1995, and they got married in 2001.

Guilfoyle quit her job in the San Francisco city district attorney’s office to work on Newsom’s successful 2003 mayoral campaign. The couple divorced in 2005, citing career demands and the difficulty of living on opposite sides of the country.

Newsom remarried in 2008, tying the knot with Jennifer Siebl, an actress and documentary filmmaker.

In 2021, as governor, he was subject to a recall vote, which he ultimately won.

Newsom has long been speculated as a possible contender for the Democratic presidential nomination but has yet to announce his candidacy.

“He’s not going anywhere,” Newsom told the New York Times earlier in September about Biden. “It’s time for all of us to get on the train and buck up.”

Gavin Newsom height

When it comes to figuring out Newsom’s height, it’s hard to get an exact bead on what his actual height is. Newsom told the New York Times that he was a “standard 6-foot-3-inch first baseman” while discussing his high school and college baseball career.

Pictures of Newsom with former President Donald Trump might give a clue to the accuracy of Newsom’s self-reported height.

According to the Japan Times, Trump has been listed at around 6’2” to 6’3”, including on booking documents when he was arrested at a Fulton County jail.

In photos of Newsom and Trump meeting in 2018 to survey the aftermath of wildfires in California, Newsom looks about an inch or so taller than Trump, so if Trump really is the height he’s listed in on his arrest records, then Newsom probably is around 6’3”.

According to the Japan Times, Joe Biden is six feet tall. A photo of Biden with Newsom during a campaign event where Biden supported Newsom in the recall campaign shows Newsom standing a good half a head taller than Biden.

If Biden’s reported height is accurate, then Newsom’s height would check out too.

So, while there’s no way to be completely sure about Newsom’s height without getting a tape measure and testing for yourself the next time you see him, he probably is 6’3”.

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