Gavin Newsom jokes about Kamala’s ‘bottom-up’ nomination process: ‘That’s what I’ve been told to say’

Newsom’s comments were made during an appearance on the podcast Pod Save America and when he was asked about the "switch" from Biden to Harris. He began his response by stating that the party “went through a very open process,” before breaking into laughter along with the hosts. He added, in a tongue-in-cheek manner, that he was “told to say” the process was "bottom-up."

"It was bottom-up, I don't know if you know that, that's what I've been told to say,” Newsom quipped, as the group continued to laugh about Harris’ nomination process.

The California governor also joked about the quickness of the party’s decision-making process, referring to it as a “30-minute convention between tweets,” alluding to the moment Biden announced via X that he would not seek re-election.

Newsom then attempted to pivot from the ridicule and claim that the Democratic Party is “unified” behind Harris as the nominee. However, his comments come at a time when the party has faced significant scrutiny, particularly in the lead-up to the Democratic National Convention.

After Biden’s announcement that he would not run for re-election, he endorsed Harris as the nominee. The party’s subsequent decision to forgo a primary process in favor of directly endorsing Harris without a vote has been a point of contention among some Democrats, with even the New York Times publishing an opinion calling it a "coup."

Journalist Glenn Greenwald criticized the process and Newsom's comments, “The Party of Democracy sits around guffawing at how anti-democratic and vote-free and secret was their process for choosing and then imposing the new Democratic presidential nominee on the country.”

Harris officially accepted the nomination on Thursday. She is currently in a tight race against former President Donald Trump in key swing states, according to recent polls. The two candidates are set to debate on ABC News on September 10.