Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) dismissed talk of replacing President Joe Biden on Monday, telling the Associated Press the idea was "a distraction" and disassociating herself from calls for him to step aside due to his age and apparent failing mental acuity.

“I don’t like seeing my name in articles like that because I’m totally focused on governing and campaigning for the ticket,” she said.

Politico reported after the dismal debate with former President Donald Trump that Whitmer called Biden's campaign and told them Michigan wasn't winnable with Biden on the ticket, but Whitmer has denied the report.

In her denial, however, she asked supporters to donate to a SuperPAC in her own name, not for support of Biden.

Where she stands

“I think everyone has acknowledged it was not his finest 90 minutes,” Whitmer told the AP, at the same time acknowledging his failure and trying to minimize it.

“That said, this is a man I’ve known for a long time and has decades of public service receipts that he’s delivered to people," she justified.

Whitmer was among several governors who visited Biden in the White House on July 3, and she emerged in apparent full support of his continued candidacy.

“@JoeBiden is our nominee. He is in it to win it and I support him,” she posted on X soon after the meeting's end.

Presidential ambitions?

Her presidential ambitions have long been speculated about, and she was a possible contender to be Biden's running mate before the George Floyd riots of 2020 and Biden's promise to nominate a Black female to the position.

Whitmer released a memoir, "True Gretch," on Tuesday; something that those with presidential aspirations often do.

If Biden doesn't voluntarily step down as the 2024 Democrat nominee, it will be nearly impossible to remove him because he has the primary votes in support of his candidacy.

Even so, Whitmer is not near the top of the list for a Biden replacement. Polls between her and Trump have Trump beating her soundly.

Autocratic hypocrite

While Democrats seem to like Whitmer well enough, she was perceived as an autocrat (and hypocrite) during COVID-19 when she tried to keep Michigan shut tight as a drum while her husband violated the rules with his boat.

She would probably be about as well-liked as Hillary Clinton by voting time, and we all know how that went.