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The California governor, a prominent Democratic figure, has indicated that he intends to decide on whether to run for president in 2028 after the 2026 midterm elections are over.

"Yeah, I couldn't be truthful otherwise," Newsom commented when pressed about contemplating a presidential run after the 2026 midterms. "It wouldn't be the truth. And I won't do that."

The governor's tenure as California's leader wraps up in early 2027, and he is ineligible for re-election. However, he cautioned that any decision is not imminent.

"It's up to destiny," he remarked.

Increased Visibility as a Administration Opponent

Newsom has emerged as a high-profile opponent of the former president's team, leveraging his social media accounts and advocating for a initiative that would expand Democratic congressional seats in as a counter to redistricting by Republicans. This move has drawn criticism from adversaries.

Controversy Over Funds

The former president's transportation chief, Sean Duffy, accused that the governor does not care about the state's residents in a recent segment on Fox News. Duffy disclosed plans to pull taxpayer dollars from California and warned suspending the state's ability to grant trucking licenses.

"I intend to cut $160m from California," he declared, following a this week's fatal crash in the state involving an non-citizen trucker that resulted in fatalities and injured individuals.

His administration highlighted that the federal government had renewed the worker's status repeatedly, which permitted him to obtain a CDL under U.S. law.

The transportation secretary had before announced he was blocking $40 million from California for failing to implement English language requirements for commercial drivers.

Firm Rebuttal from the Administration

"One-time television figure, now transportation chief, fails to grasp U.S. regulations," the governor's team responded in a previous release responding to the funding warnings. "In the meantime, in contrast to this person, we'll stick to the facts: California truck drivers had a fatal crash rate much lower than the countrywide rate. The state of Texas – the single state with more commercial holders – has a rate almost 50% higher than the state. Data speaks for itself. The federal leadership misleads."

Public Opinion and Campaign Considerations

A recent survey revealed that a majority of the party and almost half of voters believed that the governor ought to campaign for president in the next election cycle. After the current administration began, public support for the governor has increased to an average of about one-third from around 30%, while his disapproval has fallen from an typical level of more than 40% to current figures.

In previous months, Newsom commented while on a trip several battleground states that he had "no clue" about his plans for the next presidential election.

He mentioned his earlier challenges, including being diagnosed with dyslexia at the early childhood.

"The thought that a individual who had modest test scores, 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, by itself, amazing," he commented. "It's anyone's guess? I am eager to see who emerges in 2028 and who answers the call. And that remains the key point for the American people."