California Governor Gavin Newsom confirmed that he is considering a run for president in 2028 but stopped short of declaring his candidacy.
While acknowledging his interest in a potential campaign, Newsom said he has not yet made a final decision on whether to enter the race.
“Yeah, I’d be lying otherwise,” Newsom told “CBS News Sunday Morning” after he was asked whether he was considering a run for what would be the Democratic nomination. “I’d just be lying. And I’m not — I can’t do that.”
In recent months, Newsom has visited several key early primary states, including South Carolina, and launched a podcast where he has sharpened his debate skills through exchanges with conservative guests, the New York Post reported.
He has also used his social media accounts to engage directly with Republican critics, often posting exaggerated or satirical responses that mimic former President Donald Trump’s distinctive, capitalization-heavy writing style.
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Newsom, who is barred by term limits from seeking a third term as California governor, will leave office at the end of his current term, which expires next year.
“Polls regularly peg the slick-haired pol as a top contender in a Democratic primary,” The Post noted.
When asked by CBS if he’ll run, Newsom responded: “Fate will determine that.”
The California governor was previously the subject of speculation about a possible 2024 presidential run but ultimately threw his full support behind former President Joe Biden.
“I have no idea,” Newsom added whether he’ll run, The Post said, before making a reference to his dyslexia. “The idea that a guy who got 960 on his SAT, that still struggles to read scripts, that was always in the back of the classroom, the idea that you would even throw that out is, in and of itself, extraordinary.”
“Who the hell knows? I’m looking forward to who presents themselves in 2028 and who meets that moment. And that’s the question for the American people,” he added.
One possible rival, former Vice President Kamala Harris — who previously declined to run to succeed Newsom as California governor — recently hinted that she is considering a 2028 presidential bid, telling the BBC, “I am not done.”
Newsom, meanwhile, has focused on aggressively challenging former President Donald Trump and other Republicans, aiming to tap into progressive frustration that Democrats have not pushed back strongly enough against GOP attacks.
Interestingly enough, it was Newsom who predicted just a few months ago that, because of Trump’s alleged ‘authoritarianism,’ there wouldn’t even be an election in 2028.
“I fear that we will not have an election in 2028. I really mean that in the core of my soul − unless we wake up to the code red, what’s happening in this country, and we wake up soberly to how serious this moment is,” Newsom said during a Sept. 23 appearance on “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert.
Newsom went on to rip the Republican administration for taking “authoritarian actions” amid a nationwide immigration enforcement crackdown.
Newsom recently signed legislation prohibiting local and federal law enforcement officials from wearing masks while carrying out official duties, though it’s not at all clear how he plans to enforce it.
“I mean if some guy jumped out of an unmarked car and a van with a mask on and tried to grab me. I mean by definition, you’re going to push back,” Newsom said. “And so these are not just authoritarian tendencies. These are authoritarian actions by an authoritarian government.”
Border czar Tom Homan, as well as other administration officials, have repeatedly said they don’t randomly target people on the streets, but rather focus on individuals in the country illegally who have either committed crimes or have an order from an immigration judge for them to be deported.
They also blame heated Democratic rhetoric as contributing to a 1,000 percent increase in violence against federal immigration agents.
