LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky's Democratic governor is weighing in on President Joe Biden's responses from a nationally televised sit-down interview with ABC News on July 5.
When WHAS11 asked on Monday whether Gov. Andy Beshear believes the President's answers quelled concerns amongst Democrats and the public, Beshear said, "Well, the President is our nominee – and certainly I thought the interview went generally well, but I think that there is more to do."
Beshear visited Louisville for a second-straight weekday.
On Friday, he toured tornado damage in the city's west end. And on Monday, he spoke at an award presentation at duPont Manual High School.
Afterward, he fielded questions from reporters, including those asking if he felt confident Biden's interview was effective in calming nerves about his mental fitness.
"The American people are concerned about his health, and he just needs to get out there and convince them, reassure them," Beshear told WHAS11. "That's part of being President. It's about getting the support of the American people."
Beshear continued, "I don't think there was going to be one interview that satisfied everything. That's why I think he needs that aggressive schedule that he's taking right now -- to get out there and to speak directly to the American people."
The Governor's suggestions also comes days after he and several other Democratic governors met in-person with the President to advise he ramp up candid appearances face-to-face with the public, without a script.
On Monday, WHAS11 asked Beshear about his upcoming trip to Iowa in late July to serve as the keynote speaker at a fundraiser hosted by the state's Democratic Party.
Iowa has historically served as a launching pad for some presidential hopefuls.
"Well, I want to help. I want to help make sure we elect good people, and that we are competitive even in tough states. States like Kentucky are far too often overlooked in national politics," Beshear said. "We can't go on having presidential elections decided by just eight states. And so, I want to go to be able to talk to folks in other states about how we win in tough states like Kentucky."
Beshear again committed to staying in Frankfort through 2027, saying, "Let me make sure I say, I love being Governor -- and my plan is certainly to serve out this term."
But he also hasn't ruled out a run for national office at some point, telling WHAS11 in Dec. 2023 that "the only way I would do it is if I felt that I could make some extra difference."
On Monday, he put it this way, "The only way I would ever leave this job is if I knew that whatever else I was doing could help Kentucky even more."
D. Stephen Voss, associate professor of political science at the University of Kentucky, tells WHAS11 the probability Beshear would get a Democratic presidential nomination is "small, but it's also not impossible."
He explains while candidates in primary elections often benefit from name recognition with voters, of which Beshear has relatively little on a national scale, unifying voices from smaller states can have the ability to turn heads in a convention amongst party leaders.
"If we find ourselves in the chaos, where a party convention is picking a nominee, I don't think it's obvious that the governor of a small state wouldn't be a viable candidate," Voss said. "Once you're in a party convention, the scale shrinks -- and the considerations, the politicking isn't quite so oriented toward name recognition and money."
Regardless, Voss says 2028 would likely be the better opportunity for Beshear to make a run for the White House, particularly if Donald Trump wins in November.
"Usually, a candidate who speaks the way Beshear does, in terms of the need for unifying the country, that's a candidate who's strong when their party is out of power," Voss said. "Andy Beshear's message emerged in a Republican state, in the mouth of a Democratic governor. That's the way you talk when you're in the wilderness or when you're trying to hold on -- not the way you talk when you think the future is yours. Now, if we get four years of a Donald Trump administration, the Democrats might be more inclined to find a 'big tent' sort of candidate whose words pull in the people they scared off."
According to his office, Beshear is set to travel to Japan and South Korea later this week to meet with partners at Toyota, which has a major manufacturing plant in Georgetown, and to talk with leaders of SK On -- the Korean company partnering with Ford to build twin EV battery plants in Hardin County.
►Contact reporter Isaiah Kim-Martinez at IKimMartin@whas11.com or on Facebook or Twitter.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.