Overview
- In an NBC interview Sunday, Gavin Newsom answered “I don’t” when asked why he wants to be president, saying he is not suggesting he is running.
- The remarks tempered his CBS comment a week earlier that he’d be “lying” to say he wasn’t considering a post‑2026 run, which he continues to frame as a decision for after the midterms.
- He defended Joe Biden’s fitness based on his own interactions but acknowledged privately raising concerns after a June 2024 Los Angeles fundraiser and said the debate gave Democrats pause.
- Newsom justified parodying President Trump’s social media style as “putting a mirror up to the madness,” arguing Democrats must adapt their communications.
- He said he would take a call from President Trump “in a nanosecond,” noting they have not spoken in months and last discussed Trump’s move to federalize the National Guard.