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The California governor, a prominent Democratic figure, has indicated that he plans to decide on whether to seek the White House in 2028 following the 2026 congressional elections are over.

"Absolutely, I would be lying if I denied it," Newsom commented when asked about giving serious thought to a White House bid following the 2026 midterms. "That wouldn't be honest. And I won't do that."

The governor's current term as governor wraps up in the start of 2027, and he cannot run again. However, he noted that any determination is a long way off.

"The future will decide," he remarked.

Growing Prominence as a Administration Opponent

Newsom has come to the forefront as a high-profile critic of the Trump administration, employing his digital presence and advocating for a proposition that would increase Democratic House seats in as a counter to redistricting by Republicans. This strategy has drawn criticism from critics.

Federal Funding Dispute

Donald Trump's transportation chief, Sean Duffy, claimed that the governor is indifferent about Californians in a weekend segment on a major news network. Duffy announced a strategy to cut government money from California and threatened revoking the authority to issue commercial driver's licenses.

"I'm about to pull $160 million from California," he stated, following a this week's tragic collision in California involving an non-citizen commercial driver that caused three deaths and injured individuals.

Newsom's office noted that the federal government had approved the worker's status on several occasions, which enabled him to obtain a trucking license under federal law.

The transportation secretary had before stated he was blocking $40 million from the state for not enforcing language proficiency rules for truck drivers.

Strong Response from the Administration

"Ex-reality TV personality, now transportation chief, continues to misunderstand U.S. regulations," Newsom's office retorted in a previous comment addressing Duffy's threats. "For now, as opposed to this individual, we'll stick to the facts: California commercial driver's license holders had a fatal crash rate significantly lower than the countrywide rate. The state of Texas – the sole state with more commercial holders – has a rate substantially higher than California. Facts don't lie. The federal leadership misleads."

Public Opinion and Political Future

A this month's survey found that a majority of the party and a significant portion of the electorate indicated that Newsom ought to campaign for president in the next election cycle. Since Trump took office, his approval ratings has grown to an mean of a third from approximately 30%, while his disapproval has dropped from an mean of over 40% to current figures.

In previous months, the governor stated while visiting several key regions that he had "no idea" about his intentions for the next presidential election.

He also referenced his past difficulties, including being diagnosed with dyslexia at the young age of five.

"The idea that a person who got 960 on his SAT, who still struggles to read scripts, who was often seated at the back – the fact that this is even suggested is, alone, extraordinary," he said. "No one can say? I'm looking forward to who emerges in the next election and who meets that moment. And that remains the key point for the American people."