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The California governor, a leading member of the Democratic party, has revealed that he plans to decide on whether to run for president in 2028 after the 2026 congressional elections wrap up.

"Yes, I would be lying otherwise," Newsom remarked when questioned about giving serious thought to a presidential run post the 2026 ballots. "I'd just be lying. And I won't do that."

Newsom's tenure 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 said.

Rising Profile as a Trump Critic

Newsom has stepped forward as a high-profile opponent of the current federal leadership, employing his social media accounts and pushing a ballot measure that would boost Democratic House seats in response to redistricting by Republicans. This action has drawn criticism from critics.

Federal Funding Dispute

The former president's transportation chief, Sean Duffy, claimed that Newsom is indifferent about the state's residents in a recent interview on Fox News. Duffy revealed a strategy to pull taxpayer dollars from the state and warned suspending the power to issue trucking licenses.

"I plan to withdraw $160m from California," Duffy declared, after a this week's tragic collision in the state involving an undocumented trucker that resulted in three deaths and injured individuals.

His administration highlighted that the U.S. government had reauthorized the driver's employment multiple times, which allowed him to secure a trucking license under national regulations.

The transportation secretary had earlier stated he was holding back $40m from the state for failing to implement English language requirements for commercial drivers.

Firm Rebuttal from the Administration

"One-time television figure, now transportation chief, continues to misunderstand national statutes," his administration retorted in a last month's statement countering Duffy's threats. "Meanwhile, unlike this clown, we focus on reality: California truck drivers had a fatal crash rate much lower than the national average. Texas – the sole state with a larger number of CDL holders – has a rate markedly elevated than California. Data speaks for itself. This administration is dishonest."

Polling Data and Campaign Considerations

A this month's survey showed that a majority of the party and almost half of voters indicated that the governor ought to campaign for the White House in the next election cycle. In recent years, public support for the governor has risen to an average of about one-third from around 30%, while his negative ratings has dropped from an typical level of over 40% to current figures.

In previous months, Newsom commented while traveling several battleground states that he had "uncertainty" about his future for the next presidential election.

He also referenced his personal struggles, including being found to have a learning disability at the young age of five.

"The idea that a guy who scored 960 on the SAT, who still struggles to read scripts, who was always in the back of the classroom – that such a possibility is discussed is, in and of itself, remarkable," he commented. "Who the hell knows? I await who emerges in 2028 and who rises to the occasion. And that remains the key point for the U.S. citizens."