🔗 Share this article

Gavin Newsom, a leading Democratic figure, has revealed that he plans to decide on whether to run for president in 2028 once the 2026 congressional elections conclude.

"Yeah, I couldn't be truthful otherwise," Newsom remarked when asked about seriously considering a presidential run post the 2026 elections. "I'd just be lying. And I'm not."

Newsom's tenure as governor concludes in early 2027, and he is ineligible for re-election. However, he emphasized that any choice is still years away.

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

Growing Prominence as a Administration Opponent

The California governor has stepped forward as a notable opponent of the Trump administration, employing his online platforms and advocating for a proposition that would boost the party's representation in Congress in response to GOP gerrymandering. This strategy has drawn criticism from adversaries.

Controversy Over Funds

The former president's transportation chief, Sean Duffy, claimed that Newsom shows no concern about Californians in a Sunday appearance on Fox News. The secretary disclosed plans to withhold taxpayer dollars from the state and threatened suspending the authority to issue trucking licenses.

"I plan to withdraw a significant sum from the state," Duffy said, following a this week's fatal crash in the state involving an non-citizen commercial driver that led to fatalities and injured individuals.

His administration noted that the national authorities had approved the individual's authorization repeatedly, which allowed him to secure a CDL under national regulations.

Duffy had earlier indicated he was blocking $40m from California for failing to implement English language requirements for truck drivers.

Pointed Reply from the Governor's Office

"One-time television figure, now cabinet member, fails to grasp federal law," his administration said in a recent release addressing the secretary's comments. "Meanwhile, unlike this clown, we'll stick to the facts: California truck drivers had a accident mortality rate significantly lower than the countrywide rate. The state of Texas – the single state with a larger number of CDL holders – has a rate markedly elevated than California. Facts don't lie. The Trump administration does."

Public Opinion and Political Future

A recently conducted study revealed that 72% of Democrats and 48% of all registered voters believed that the governor must consider running for the White House in 2028. After the current administration began, his approval ratings has grown to an average of 33.5% from previous levels, while his disapproval has fallen from an mean of over 40% to 38.4%.

In previous months, Newsom commented while visiting several key regions that he had "no clue" about his future for 2028.

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

"The idea that a guy who scored 960 on the 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, extraordinary," he commented. "No one can say? I'm looking forward to who emerges in 2028 and who rises to the occasion. And that remains the key point for the U.S. citizens."