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The California governor, a well-known Democratic figure, has disclosed that he plans to determine whether to seek the White House in 2028 once the 2026 congressional elections conclude.

"Absolutely, I would be lying otherwise," Newsom commented when questioned about seriously considering a White House bid following the 2026 ballots. "I'd just be lying. And I can't do that."

Newsom's tenure as governor wraps up in early 2027, and he is ineligible for re-election. Yet, he noted that any choice is not imminent.

"The future will decide," he remarked.

Rising Profile as a Trump Critic

Newsom has come to the forefront as a prominent critic of the former president's team, using his online platforms and pushing a proposition that would increase the party's House seats in as a counter to GOP gerrymandering. This move has drawn criticism from adversaries.

Controversy Over Funds

The former president's transportation chief, Sean Duffy, accused that Newsom does not care about Californians in a weekend interview on Fox News. The secretary announced plans to pull taxpayer dollars from the state and warned suspending the authority to grant trucking licenses.

"I intend to cut $160 million from the state," Duffy stated, after a recently reported fatal crash in California involving an non-citizen trucker that led to three deaths and casualties.

The governor's team highlighted that the federal government had renewed the worker's status on several occasions, which allowed him to secure a CDL under national regulations.

Duffy had earlier indicated he was holding back $40 million from California for not enforcing language proficiency rules for commercial drivers.

Strong Response from the Team

"One-time television figure, now transportation chief, still doesn't understand U.S. regulations," the governor's team said in a recent release responding to Duffy's threats. "In the meantime, unlike this clown, we rely on data: The state's truck drivers had a fatal crash rate nearly 40% lower than the countrywide rate. The state of Texas – the only state with additional licensed drivers – has a rate markedly elevated than the state. Statistics are clear. The Trump administration does."

Voter Sentiment and Political Future

A recent study showed that nearly three-quarters of Democratic voters and a significant portion of the electorate said that the governor must consider running for president in the next election cycle. After the current administration began, his approval ratings has grown to an mean of 33.5% from around 30%, while his negative ratings has fallen from an mean of more than 40% to 38.4%.

In previous months, Newsom remarked while visiting several key regions that he had "no clue" about his future for 2028.

He noted his earlier challenges, including being identified as dyslexic at the age of five.

"The thought that a guy who scored 960 on the SAT, who continues to find reading challenging, who was always in the back of the classroom – the idea that you would even throw that out is, alone, remarkable," he said. "No one can say? I am eager to see who emerges in the next election and who answers the call. And that is the issue for the American people."