Not even a public plea from George Clooney, who called for Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race in a New York Times op-ed this week, will stop Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer from pledging her support to the president.

“He is up for the job for the next four years,” she said after Stephen Colbert asked about her confidence in Biden on Wednesday’s episode of The Late Show. “And I am working my tail off on his behalf and trying to make sure that Michigan, we turn out—and we turn out for Biden.”

Since Biden’s discouraging debate performance against Donald Trump in late June, his aptitude for a reelection bid has divided the political landscape—although the president has maintained public support from top Democrats in the aftermath. When asked point-blank about the first presidential showdown, Whitmer initially demurred. “What debate?” she laughed, before admitting that she did not watch the entire thing.

“I’ve seen clips of the debate. I was actually out on the West Coast with a couple of my colleagues doing a fundraiser,” Whitmer began.

“I forgot, they don’t have television in California,” Colbert replied, before asking his guest if her reaction was “full speed ahead, Joe,” or if the debate gave her “any pause at all.” Whitmer, who was floated as Biden’s potential running mate in 2020, deflected again, telling Colbert: “I like your tie.”

The late-night host took a different approach, pointing out that Whitmer was mentioned in Clooney’s Times op-ed imploring Biden to exit the presidential race. “He name-checked me and a handful of other folks,” said Whitmer, who was singled out alongside other prominent Democrats like Kamala Harris and Gavin Newsom.

“I think that the debate rattled a lot of people, right?” she continued. “It was a lousy performance. I don’t think anyone’s disputing that.” But Whitmer said that after spending some postdebate time with the president, alongside some of her fellow Biden campaign cochairs, she came away with confidence. “He’s up for this,” Whitmer told Colbert, adding, “I know that there’s a lot of nervousness. This is a high-stakes election. But I can tell you, you know, I come from Michigan. This is the swingiest of swing states…. As I talk to people across Michigan, their biggest concerns are trying to keep money in their pocket, make sure their kids are set up for success, making sure that they don’t get shot when they go to school, making sure that they can drive on the roads, fixing the damn roads. Joe Biden has receipts on every one of these fronts. They know that.”

Whitmer, who has said she won’t run for president in 2024 even if Biden steps down, continued to emphasize the threat posed by a second Trump presidency. Biden “had a crappy debate, no question about it,” she said, “and yet this is a decision between four years of Joe Biden continuing the work that he’s gotten started this first term or Donald Trump.” The current president “has dedicated his life to serving the public,” she added. “Donald Trump serves one person, and that’s Donald Trump. And we can’t forget it. He has 34 convictions.”

Despite her show of unity, Whitmer told CNN this week that “it wouldn’t hurt” for Biden to take a cognitive test, an answer prompted by a question about whether he should take a test and insist that Trump do the same. As she said to Colbert, “All eyes are on the president, and he’s got to prove to the American public that he is up for this—and he is doing that, hosting NATO right now. He’ll be in Michigan on Friday. He is getting all across the country, and I think you’re gonna see how energized this president is.”