Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear taking Asia trip amid turmoil over Biden’s candidacy

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Friday left behind the turmoil gripping his party over the fate of President Joe Bide n’s candidacy, taking a business trip to Asia to promote his state.

Beshear is one of several Democratic governors viewed as a potential candidate to join the party’s presidential ticket should Biden abandon his reelection bid following a widely panned debate performance against Donald Trump, in which he struggled to complete sentences and clearly articulate thoughts.

Before leaving, Beshear reiterated his support for Biden “as long as he is our nominee.” But he added that the 81-year-old president needs to be forthcoming about his health to reassure Americans.

“I think they’ve taken some steps towards it, but I think more steps would need to be taken,” Beshear said at a Thursday news conference.

The Democratic Party has been beset by turmoil in the two weeks since the debate, as a growing number of donors, strategists and elected officials unsatisfied with the president’s handling of the tumult have asked him to drop his quest for another term.

Beshear said his trip to Japan and South Korea will include meetings with a host of business executives in hopes of landing more jobs and extending Kentucky’s “best economic development win streak in our lifetime.” It follows his economic development trip to Germany and Switzerland in the spring.

Beshear, who won a second term as governor last year in a state that has trended Republican in recent years, said his overseas ventures were long delayed as he dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic and the recovery from tornadoes and flooding that devastated parts of Kentucky. The governor is scheduled to return home late next week.

Beshear was at Biden’s