California Gov. Gavin Newsom has finally confirmed he’s looking at a 2028 presidential bid — but is still playing coy about whether he’ll actually run.
“Yeah, I’d be lying otherwise,” Newsom told “CBS News Sunday Morning” in a pre-taped interview, when asked if he was considering a White House campaign.
“I’d just be lying. And I’m not — I can’t do that.”
In recent months, Newsom has swung through key early states such as South Carolina and launched a podcast where he’s honed his debate skills — sparring with conservative guests.
He’s also turned his social media handles into troll accounts that consistently post bizarre and over-the-top responses to GOP critics, including mimicking President Trump’s signature capitalization-heavy Truth Social style.
Newsom is term-limited in the Golden State and, therefore, can’t seek a third consecutive term as governor.
Polls regularly peg the slick-haired pol as a top contender in a Democratic primary.
“Fate will determine that,” Newsom added when pressed on whether he’s inching toward a presidential bid.
The California governor previously drew 2024 presidential buzz but ultimately went all in on former President Joe Biden.
“I have no idea,” Newsom added about whether he will vie for the presidency, before referencing 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.”
One of his potential foes, former Vice President Kamala Harris, who passed on a run to succeed Newsom as California governor, recently teased that she’s contemplating a 2028 run, telling the BBC, “I am not done.”
Newsom has put an emphasis on punching back hard at Trump and Republicans, seeking to capitalize on progressive frustrations that Democrats are constantly getting steamrolled.
Recently, he’s pushed for California to tear up its independent redistricting commission to hit back at GOP efforts to engage in rare mid-decade redrawing of congressional district lines to eke out advantages heading into the 2026 midterms.
The California governor has championed Proposition 50, which would enable the state to temporarily modify its congressional district lines to counter similar GOP efforts.
“I think it’s about our democracy. It’s about the future of this republic. I think it’s about, you know, what the Founding Fathers lived and died for, this notion of the rule of law, and not the rule of Don,” Newsom chided.
