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The California governor, a well-known Democratic figure, has disclosed that he intends to determine whether to seek the White House in 2028 following the 2026 elections are over.

"Yeah, I would be lying if I said no," Newsom stated when questioned about giving serious thought to a campaign for president post the 2026 elections. "It wouldn't be the truth. And I'm not."

Newsom's tenure as California's leader ends in early 2027, and term limits prevent another run. Yet, he noted that any determination is still years away.

"Fate will determine that," he said.

Growing Prominence as a Trump Critic

Newsom has come to the forefront as a notable adversary of the former president's team, employing his digital presence and pushing a proposition that would increase Democratic congressional seats in following GOP gerrymandering. This action has drawn criticism from critics.

Federal Funding Dispute

The former president's secretary of transportation, Sean Duffy, alleged that the governor does not care about the state's residents in a recent interview on a major news network. Duffy revealed plans to withhold government money from the state and warned suspending the authority to grant CDLs.

"I intend to cut $160 million from California," he declared, in the wake of a recently reported deadly accident in California involving an undocumented commercial driver that resulted in loss of life and injured individuals.

Newsom's office highlighted that the U.S. government had approved the worker's status on several occasions, which enabled him to receive a commercial driver's license under national regulations.

The transportation secretary had earlier indicated he was holding back $40m from the state for failing to implement linguistic standards for CDL holders.

Pointed Reply from the Team

"Former D-list reality star, now Secretary of Transportation, continues to misunderstand federal law," Newsom's office retorted in a last month's comment addressing the secretary's comments. "For now, as opposed to this individual, we focus on reality: The state's commercial driver's license holders had a fatal crash rate significantly lower than the countrywide rate. The state of Texas – the single state with additional licensed drivers – has a rate substantially higher than California. Facts don't lie. The Trump administration does."

Public Opinion and Campaign Considerations

A this month's study revealed that nearly three-quarters of Democratic voters and 48% of all registered voters said that Newsom must consider running for the White House in 2028. After the current administration began, Newsom's favorability has increased to an mean of a third from approximately 30%, while his negative ratings has decreased from an typical level of more than 40% to current figures.

Some time ago, the governor stated while traveling several battleground states that he had "no clue" about his plans for the next presidential election.

He mentioned his past difficulties, including being found to have a learning disability at the age of five.

"The notion that a individual who scored 960 on the SAT, who continues to find reading challenging, who was often seated at the back – the idea that you would even throw that out is, by itself, extraordinary," he said. "It's anyone's guess? I'm looking forward to who emerges in the next election and who answers the call. And that's the question for the American people."