Newsom says his children don't want him to run for president: ‘You need to spend time with us’

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: California Governor Gavin Newsom may be eyeing the White House, but his potential campaign is already facing challenges at home.

In an interview with Politico's Jonathan Martin in San Francisco released Tuesday, Newsom made it clear that any decision about a 2028 presidential run is not his alone.

The governor, widely floated as a potential Democratic contender, said he still has not made up his mind. Newsom said the real “metrics” are at his dinner table.

Speaking about his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and their four children, Newsom suggested the final call will hinge on what works best for his family.

Asked how his family might vote on a potential run, he quipped, “It depends on the day of the week.”

Newsom recalled a moment a few months ago when his 14-year-old son asked if he planned to run in 2028. When the governor said no decision had been made, the response was positive. “Good," the boy said. “We’re too young, and you need to spend more time with us.”

Wife and children as ‘metrics’

This isn’t the first time Newsom has leaned into the family-first line.

During an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” last month, host Dana Bash asked him what factors would determine a presidential bid.

“There’s five of them: Dutch, Brooklyn, Hunter. You get the drill,” he quipped, referring to his children, along with his wife and daughter Montana, rounding out the “metrics.”

When asked, “Do they want you to run?” Newsom made the same joke, “It depends on the day.”

He also brought up a text exchange with one of his sons, who had seen a headline suggesting his father was gearing up for a run. Newsom told him the decision would be made as a family.

“I’m too young. You need to spend more time with us,” Newsom reiterated his son told him.

Newsom's odds, back-and-forth with Trump

A Yahoo/YouGov survey last month found that 19 per cent of Americans would like to see him as the Democratic nominee in 2028. That puts him narrowly ahead of Kamala Harris at 18 per cent, followed by Pete Buttigieg at 13 per cent and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at 12 per cent.

In a hypothetical matchup, 49 per cent said they’d back Newsom over Vice President JD Vance, who pulled 43 per cent.

The governor has also kept himself in the news cycle by sparring with President Donald Trump.

Appearing on Stephen Colbert’s show last September, Newsom said he was putting “a mirror up to Trump and the absurdity of what’s going on in this country.”

That back-and-forth escalated earlier this month when Trump took a swipe at Newsom’s dyslexia. “I don't want the president of the United States to have a cognitive deficiency," he said.

Newsom fired back with two pointed words. “Too late,” implying that Trump himself is experiencing cognitive decline.

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