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The California governor, a leading Democratic figure, has indicated that he will determine whether to seek the White House in 2028 once the 2026 congressional elections are over.

"Absolutely, I would be lying otherwise," the governor stated when asked about giving serious thought to a presidential run after the 2026 midterms. "I'd just be lying. And I won't do that."

The governor's current term as California's leader wraps up in January 2027, and he is ineligible for re-election. But, he cautioned that any determination is not imminent.

"The future will decide," he remarked.

Growing Prominence as a Trump Critic

He has come to the forefront as a notable opponent of the current federal leadership, leveraging his digital presence and advocating for a proposition that would expand Democratic congressional seats in as a counter to redistricting by Republicans. This strategy has drawn criticism from critics.

Clash on Transportation

Donald Trump's transportation chief, Sean Duffy, accused that the governor shows no concern about the state's residents in a weekend segment on a major news network. Duffy announced plans to pull government money from the state and suggested suspending the state's ability to provide commercial driver's licenses.

"I intend to cut a significant sum from the state," Duffy said, following a recent deadly accident in the state involving an non-citizen trucker that led to three deaths and four injuries.

The governor's team noted that the national authorities had reauthorized the worker's status multiple times, which allowed him to obtain a CDL under federal law.

The transportation secretary had before indicated he was withholding $40m from California for ignoring linguistic standards for CDL holders.

Firm Rebuttal from the Team

"Ex-reality TV personality, now Secretary of Transportation, still doesn't understand U.S. regulations," the governor's team responded in a last month's statement addressing Duffy's threats. "Meanwhile, unlike this clown, we'll stick to the facts: The state's CDL holders had a fatal crash rate nearly 40% lower than the national average. The state of Texas – the only state with a larger number of CDL holders – has a rate markedly elevated than the state. Statistics are clear. The federal leadership misleads."

Public Opinion and Political Future

A recently conducted study showed that a majority of the party and almost half of voters said that the governor should run for president in the next election cycle. Since Trump took office, Newsom's favorability has risen to an typical level of about one-third from previous levels, while his unfavorability has decreased from an mean of over 40% to under 40%.

In previous months, Newsom commented while visiting several battleground states that he had "no idea" about his intentions for the next presidential election.

He noted his past difficulties, including being identified as dyslexic at the early childhood.

"The idea 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, in and of itself, extraordinary," he stated. "It's anyone's guess? I'm looking forward to who steps forward in 2028 and who rises to the occasion. And that remains the key point for the American people."