Gavin Newsom Reveals If He’s Thinking About Presidential Run

After rolling a clip of the governor glad-handing with people in the Republican-heavy state of South Carolina, Robert Costa asked him if he plans to put “serious thought” into the possibility of a 2028 presidential run after the next cycle of midterm elections.

“Yeah, I’d be lying otherwise. I’d just be lying. And I’m not — I can’t do that,” Newsom admitted, also adding that he still has several years before he’d have to officially commit to a campaign.

“Fate will determine that,” he said.

The governor is set to leave Sacramento in January 2027, with California term limits taking the option of another state-wide run off the table.

Already a big name in Democratic politics, Newsom’s profile has only risen since he’s positioned himself as one of President Donald Trump’s loudest critics during his second term.

That doesn’t mean Newsom’s ignoring the nuts and bolts of electoral politics though. In an effort to offset gerrymandering efforts in red states like Texas, he helped put a blue-slanted redistricting plan on California ballots in a special election this year.

Despite robust name recognition and a respectable political resume, the governor told Costa the idea of a presidential run still seemed like a mind-boggling possibility for someone who once strained to get through school.

“I have no idea. 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,” Newsom said, referring to his dyslexia diagnosis. “The idea that you would even throw that out is, in and of itself, extraordinary.”

“Who the hell knows?” he added. “I’m looking forward to who presents themselves in 2028 and who meets that moment. That’s the question for the American people.”

Watch Newsom’s full interview here: