California Governor Gavin Newsom has revealed why he may not run for president, despite constantly topping the list of potential 2028 Democratic Party contenders.
Speaking with CNN's State of the Union host Dana Bash, Newsom noted that his family is skeptical about a rumored presidential run.
Asked whether his family wants him to run for president, Newsom acknowledged to Bash, 'It depends on the day.'
The governor also shared with the CNN host a recent incident in which one of his sons texted him a headline that suggested he was preparing to run for president and asked if it was true.
'I said, 'No, I will do this as a family,' Newsom shared.
His son then reportedly replied: 'You can't,' adding, 'I'm too young ... You need to spend more time with us.'
'How do you deal with that one?' Newsom asked Bash, adding, 'I'm busted.'
Newsom is building a carefully curated image of himself as the quintessential American family man as a husband and father to his four children.
Gavin Newsom has revealed the only thing standing between him and a run for president is how his family feels about it
Gavin Newsom stands with first partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom at a California Democratic Party office Tuesday, November 4, 2025, in Sacramento
His Sunday CNN appearance came ahead of the Tuesday release of his memoir, 'Young Man in a Hurry'.
He also launched a podcast last year and has not been afraid to host guests who vehemently disagree with him politically, including former Trump strategist Steve Bannon, and the late youth conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated last September.
Newsom has also put himself forward as a figurehead of the anti-Trump resistance, clashing with the Trump White House on politics and policy alike.
The California Governor was the architect of Proposition 50, which took the power to redraw the state's map away from the bipartisan California Citizens Redistricting Commission until 2030 and returned it to the state legislature, which is controlled by Democrats.
The move was made to reallocate the state's congressional seats to leave fewer in the GOP's column, a direct attack on the Republican House Majority and Trump's ability to govern in Washington.
Newsom has also taken actions to resist the Trump administration's immigration enforcement measures, limiting the degree to which California law enforcement complies with federal ICE agents, and calling them a terrorist group.
During last year's government shutdown, Newsom made $80 million in SNAP funds available to food banks in his state during a pause in federal funds, and he also sent the National Guard to help run them. However, some locations have rejected the troops' help.
The Trump Administration has noted at the time that states that choose to spend money on their food programs will not be reimbursed for their actions.
