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Gavin Newsom, a well-known Democratic figure, has disclosed that he will make a decision about whether to run for president in 2028 after the 2026 midterm elections are over.

"Yeah, I couldn't be truthful if I denied it," Newsom remarked when questioned about giving serious thought to a campaign for president following the 2026 ballots. "I'd just be lying. And I can't do that."

The governor's time in office as governor ends in the start of 2027, and he is ineligible for re-election. However, he emphasized that any choice is still years away.

"The future will decide," he said.

Increased Visibility as a Political Adversary

Newsom has come to the forefront as a high-profile critic of the Trump administration, using his online platforms and pushing a initiative that would increase the party's representation in Congress in response to redistricting by Republicans. This strategy has made him a target from adversaries.

Clash on Transportation

Donald Trump's transportation chief, Sean Duffy, accused that the governor shows no concern about the state's residents in a Sunday interview on Fox News. Duffy disclosed plans to withhold government money from the state and threatened suspending the authority to issue commercial driver's licenses.

"I plan to withdraw $160 million from California," Duffy said, in the wake of a recently reported tragic collision in California involving an unauthorized commercial driver that led to fatalities and casualties.

Newsom's office pointed out that the U.S. government had approved the worker's status repeatedly, which allowed him to obtain a commercial driver's license under U.S. law.

Duffy had previously announced he was withholding $40 million from the state for ignoring linguistic standards for CDL holders.

Pointed Reply from the Governor's Office

"One-time television figure, now Secretary of Transportation, continues to misunderstand U.S. regulations," the governor's team responded in a recent comment countering the funding warnings. "In the meantime, as opposed to this individual, we'll stick to the facts: California commercial driver's license holders had a fatal crash rate much lower than the countrywide rate. Texas – the only state with more commercial holders – has a rate substantially higher than the state. Facts don't lie. The federal leadership misleads."

Polling Data and Future Prospects

A recently conducted poll showed that 72% of Democrats and almost half of voters said that the governor should run for the White House in the next election cycle. Since Trump took office, Newsom's favorability has grown to an average of 33.5% from previous levels, while his unfavorability has dropped from an mean of previous highs to under 40%.

Some time ago, Newsom remarked while traveling several swing states that he had "no idea" about his intentions for the next presidential election.

He also referenced his personal struggles, including being found to have a learning disability at the young age of five.

"The idea that a guy who scored 960 on the SAT, who continues to find reading challenging, who was typically not at the front – the idea that you would even throw that out is, in and of itself, remarkable," he said. "It's anyone's guess? I'm looking forward to who presents themselves in 2028 and who answers the call. And that is the issue for the American people."