Gavin Newsom Panning Reparations Is Another Sign He’s Running for President

For several months, California Governor Gavin Newsom has been rumored as either a possible replacement for Kamala Harris as Joe Biden’s running mate in 2024 or as a replacement candidate for president should Biden’s popularity continue to decline. The VP rumors have cooled since the White House launched the original ticket last week, but calls for him to replace Biden at the top have ramped up.

Now, he has panned his own reparations task force and taken a far more sane stance on how to “pay back” Black Californians in a state that didn’t exist when slavery did. According to Fox News:

California Gov. Gavin Newsom declined to endorse the cash payments – which could reach as high as $1.2 million for a single recipient – recommended by his reparations task force, telling Fox News Digital that dealing with the legacy of slavery “is about much more than cash payments.”

“The Reparations Task Force’s independent findings and recommendations are a milestone in our bipartisan effort to advance justice and promote healing. This has been an important process, and we should continue to work as a nation to reconcile our original sin of slavery and understand how that history has shaped our country,” Newsom said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

While the Democratic governor applauded the task force’s work, he declined to endorse any specific recommendations, though he pledged to continue to “advance systemic changes that ensure an inclusive and equitable future for all Californians.”

This definitely doesn’t match the tone he had in 2021 or even last year when he was so gung ho about reparations. It seems like more a play for national acceptance, something he’d only need if he intends to run for president.

It could also be a play to keep him as the backup quarterback. If the plan is to go with Joe, then Newsom could be trying to keep his nose clean just in case Biden’s fading mental acuity or plethora of scandals pulls him from the race.

We’ll be watching closely for more signs.