🔗 Share this article

Gavin Newsom, a well-known Democratic figure, has disclosed that he plans to make a decision about whether to run for president in 2028 once the 2026 congressional elections wrap up.

"Yeah, I couldn't be truthful if I denied it," Newsom stated when questioned about seriously considering a campaign for president following the 2026 elections. "It wouldn't be the truth. And I won't do that."

The governor's time in office as California's leader concludes in the start of 2027, and term limits prevent another run. Yet, he noted that any choice is still years away.

"The future will decide," he remarked.

Increased Visibility as a Trump Critic

He has stepped forward as a notable opponent of the Trump administration, employing his social media accounts and championing a ballot measure that would expand Democratic representation in Congress in response to Republican redistricting efforts. This move has made him a target from critics.

Controversy Over Funds

Donald Trump's secretary of transportation, Sean Duffy, claimed that Newsom does not care about Californians in a weekend interview on Fox News. The secretary disclosed a strategy to cut government money from California and warned eliminating the power to grant CDLs.

"I'm about to pull a significant sum from the state," he declared, in the wake of a recent fatal crash in California involving an unauthorized trucker that resulted in fatalities and injured individuals.

Newsom's office pointed out that the U.S. government had approved the worker's status repeatedly, which enabled him to obtain a trucking license under national regulations.

The transportation secretary had earlier indicated he was withholding additional funds from California for failing to implement English language requirements for commercial drivers.

Pointed Reply from the Administration

"One-time television figure, now transportation chief, continues to misunderstand federal law," the governor's team responded in a recent release responding to Duffy's threats. "Meanwhile, unlike this clown, we focus on reality: California commercial driver's license holders had a accident mortality rate significantly lower than the countrywide rate. Texas – the only state with a larger number of CDL holders – has a rate markedly elevated than California. Data speaks for itself. The Trump administration does."

Public Opinion and Political Future

A this month's survey showed that nearly three-quarters of Democratic voters and a significant portion of the electorate said that the governor must consider running for president in 2028. After the current administration began, his approval ratings has increased to an mean of a third from approximately 30%, while his unfavorability has dropped from an mean of more than 40% to current figures.

Earlier this year, the governor remarked while on a trip several battleground states that he had "no idea" about his intentions for 2028.

He noted his earlier challenges, including being identified as dyslexic at the young age of five.

"The idea that a guy who had modest test scores, who has ongoing difficulties with text, who was always in the back of the classroom – that such a possibility is discussed is, alone, remarkable," he said. "Who the hell knows? I await who steps forward in the next election and who meets that moment. And that is the issue for the voters."