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The California governor, a leading member of the Democratic party, has revealed that he intends to determine whether to seek the White House in 2028 once the 2026 congressional elections are over.

"Absolutely, I would be lying if I said no," the governor stated when asked about seriously considering a White House bid after the 2026 midterms. "It wouldn't be the truth. And I can't do that."

Newsom's current term as California's leader ends in January 2027, and he is ineligible for re-election. But, he emphasized that any determination is still years away.

"The future will decide," he said.

Increased Visibility as a Trump Critic

The California governor has stepped forward as a notable opponent of the former president's team, leveraging his social media accounts and pushing a proposition that would expand Democratic House seats in as a counter to Republican redistricting efforts. This move has invited attacks from political opponents.

Clash on Transportation

Donald Trump's transportation chief, Sean Duffy, accused that Newsom does not care about the state's residents in a Sunday appearance on Fox News. The secretary revealed a strategy to pull federal funds from the state and threatened suspending the power to grant commercial driver's licenses.

"I'm about to pull $160 million from the state," Duffy declared, in the wake of a this week's deadly accident in the state involving an non-citizen semi truck driver that resulted in fatalities and injured individuals.

His administration pointed out that the federal government had approved the worker's status multiple times, which enabled him to receive a commercial driver's license under national regulations.

The transportation secretary had before indicated he was holding back $40 million from the state for not enforcing English language requirements for CDL holders.

Firm Rebuttal from the Team

"Ex-reality TV personality, now transportation chief, still doesn't understand federal law," the governor's team responded in a previous statement countering the funding warnings. "In the meantime, in contrast to this person, we focus on reality: The state's commercial driver's license holders had a accident mortality rate nearly 40% lower than the national average. The state of Texas – the sole state with more commercial holders – has a rate markedly elevated than California. Data speaks for itself. The federal leadership misleads."

Public Opinion and Political Future

A recently conducted study found that 72% of Democrats and almost half of voters said that the governor should run for the White House in the next election cycle. In recent years, Newsom's favorability has risen to an mean of about one-third from approximately 30%, while his unfavorability has dropped from an mean of over 40% to current figures.

In previous months, the governor commented while visiting several battleground states that he had "no clue" about his intentions for 2028.

He also referenced his past difficulties, including being found to have a learning disability at the early childhood.

"The thought that a individual who scored 960 on the SAT, who still struggles to read scripts, who was always in the back of the classroom – the idea that you would even throw that out is, alone, extraordinary," he stated. "It's anyone's guess? I await who steps forward in 2028 and who answers the call. And that's the question for the voters."