Former President Donald Trump is expanding his rebuke of Democrats beyond just mocking President Joe Biden's cognitive bewilderment, saying California Gov. Gavin Newsom is jumping in with a pseudo presidential campaign.
"Gavin has become Crooked Joe Biden's top surrogate, I think, because he doesn't think Biden is going to make it," Trump told the California GOP fall convention in Anaheim, California, on Friday in a speech that aired in part on Newsmax.
"That's why he's doing it. He doesn't think he's going to make it."
Biden's apparent cognitive decline and embarrassing on-stage moments before the world might ultimately force the incumbent out and open up things for another Democrat candidate, according to Trump.
"And it won't be him so easy; he's gonna have a big fight, however, because there will be a lot of Democrats competing," Trump continued. "It's going to be very interesting, but let's see.
"Look, some people say Biden is going to make it. Does anybody think he's going to make it to the starting gate?"
Trump used some physical mockery of a bewildered Biden to entertain the California GOP fall convention crowd.
"I mean, the guy can't find his way off of a stage," Trump mocked. "Look, here's a stage; here's the stage; I've never seen this stupid stage before. Right? I've never seen it. But if I walk left, there's a stair, and if I walk right, there's a stair.
"And this guy gets up. 'Where am I?'"
Trump added a pointed rebuke of Biden's resorting to what he calls a weaponization of justice to indict his chief political rival, quoting Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James' profane vow to get Trump and "indict the motherf*****" — a portion of the speech not aired on Newsmax.
"What they've done is they've gone after opponents, so that if you become president, or some other job, but if you become president and you don't like somebody, or if somebody's beating you by 10, 15, or 20 points like we're doing with Crooked Joe Biden: 'Let's indict the motherf*****! Let's indict him,'" Trump said to wild cheers.
Trump has maintained Biden has brought U.S. politics to all-new lows, having long said the political weaponization of justice has forced him to take the "gloves off."
"Nah, he's terrible, terrible," Trump said. "You know, I'm much tougher on him than I used to be. Out of respect for the office, I was never like, 'He's the most corrupt president, the most incompetent president we've ever had,' but when they indicted me, and then again and again and again.
"I was never indicted; now I'm setting records: Al Capone was not indicted so much. Alphonse Capone. If you looked at Al Capone in the wrong way, he'd kill you. He was not indicted like me.
"But I used to talk relatively nicely about him," Trump continued, pivoting back to Biden. "I wouldn't go out of my way, I wouldn't say the things I say now. Now I'm just all in because these people are bad, and they're dangerous. And we have to stop it. I wouldn't say what I say now. I never did. I joke, I'd have a little fun with it."
Ultimately, Biden is the "worst president in history" and "the most corrupt president in history, and I call him the most incompetent president."
"Other than that, he's doing a fabulous job I think, ladies and gentlemen," Trump said.
In other portions of the speech, Trump vowed to get tough on crime, which has become an issue raging beyond control in Newsom's California.
"We will immediately stop all of the pillaging and theft," Trump vowed. "Very simply: If you rob a store, you can fully expect to be shot as you are leaving that store.
"Shot!"
The conservative crowd appreciated the law-and-order toughness, apparently, cheering wildy.
"We will reverse the decline of America and we will end the desecration of your once great state, California," Trump said. “This is not a great state anymore. This is a dumping ground. You're a dumping ground. The world is being dumped into California. Prisoners. Terrorists. Mental patients."
With 169 delegates at stake, a victory in California would move a Republican presidential candidate much closer to the nomination. And a recent rule change could give Trump, who is so far dominating the primary, an advantage. If he wins more than 50% of the vote, he would be awarded each of the state's delegates.
A Public Policy Institute of California voter survey released Wednesday, but conducted in late August and early September, found Trump with support from nearly half of the likely Republican primary voters. Florida GOP Gov. DeSantis was far back, at 14%, with the rest of the field lagging in single digits.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.