🔗 Share this article

Gavin Newsom, a prominent member of the Democratic party, has revealed that he will decide on whether to seek the White House in 2028 following the 2026 congressional elections are over.

"Yes, I would be lying otherwise," Newsom commented when pressed about giving serious thought to a presidential run after the 2026 elections. "It wouldn't be the truth. And I can't do that."

Newsom's tenure as governor ends in January 2027, and term limits prevent another run. However, he noted that any choice is not imminent.

"It's up to destiny," he said.

Increased Visibility as a Trump Critic

Newsom has emerged as a notable critic of the current federal leadership, employing his social media accounts and advocating for a proposition that would increase Democratic congressional seats in as a counter to Republican redistricting efforts. This action has invited attacks from adversaries.

Clash on Transportation

Donald Trump's transportation chief, Sean Duffy, accused that Newsom is indifferent about Californians in a Sunday interview on a major news network. The secretary disclosed a strategy to cut government money from California and threatened eliminating the authority to provide commercial driver's licenses.

"I plan to withdraw a significant sum from the state," Duffy declared, in the wake of a recent deadly accident in California involving an non-citizen semi truck driver that led to fatalities and casualties.

The governor's team pointed out that the national authorities had approved the worker's status on several occasions, which permitted him to secure a commercial driver's license under U.S. law.

Duffy had previously announced he was holding back $40m from California for not enforcing linguistic standards for CDL holders.

Pointed Reply from the Team

"One-time television figure, now transportation chief, continues to misunderstand federal law," the governor's team said in a previous statement countering the funding warnings. "For now, as opposed to this individual, we focus on reality: California CDL holders had a death rate significantly lower than the countrywide rate. Texas – the single state with a larger number of CDL holders – has a rate markedly elevated than the state. Statistics are clear. The federal leadership misleads."

Public Opinion and Future Prospects

A recent study found that a majority of the party and 48% of all registered voters believed that the governor should run for president in 2028. After the current administration began, public support for the governor has grown to an typical level of about one-third from approximately 30%, while his negative ratings has fallen from an average of more than 40% to 38.4%.

In previous months, Newsom stated while visiting several key regions that he had "uncertainty" about his future for 2028.

He also referenced his personal struggles, including being diagnosed with dyslexia at the young age of five.

"The idea that a person who got 960 on his SAT, who continues to find reading challenging, who was always in the back of the classroom – the fact that this is even suggested is, alone, amazing," he commented. "Who the hell knows? I am eager to see who presents themselves in the next election and who meets that moment. And that remains the key point for the voters."