Gov. Gavin Newsom appears to be adopting the playbook of every presidential candidate, ever.
There’s the tell-all memoir set to launch Tuesday; the two trips in three weeks to Europe to appear ‘presidential’; and the headline-grabbing social media campaign that’s a mirror of Donald Trump’s.
But when the California Post ask him directly whether he was indeed running, Newsom again swatted it away.
“It’s wildly premature,” Newsom said at a Thursday press conference at a Bay Area BART station about funding for public transit systems.
That led to yet another segue into his upcoming memoir, ”Young Man in a Hurry”, which comes up Feb. 24th, and a speech about the Founding Fathers.
“But there is a book — and by the way, it talks a lot about the Bay Area and our respective histories, and, I’m looking forward to sharing it … and we’ll be on that book tour, this weekend and a little bit through next week.”
Newsom’s book tour starts in Nashville, Tenn., where he’ll headline a Tennessee Democratic Party fundraiser this weekend, and continues in Georgia, South Carolina, and New Hampshire — the latter two being key early voting states in Democratic primaries, Politico reported.
The governor then waxed about the “journey we’re all on together.”
“Not just my journey — we’ll see where it takes us — but it’s a precious time in American history and we’re on the 250th anniversary of this great adventure that our Founding Fathers conceived of in the best of the Roman Republic and Greek democracy.”
He said the rule of law is “challenged right now in unique ways.”
“Whether or not we tempt fate and decide to enter in a particular race or serve in a particular office, all of us have a responsibility and a role at this time to stand tall, and I think that’s represented here today,” he continued.
Newsom’s globetrotting and PR onslaught related to his memoir, detailing his childhood in San Francisco, colorful live life, and career in politics have fueled rampant speculation about his White House aspirations.
Recent polls show him and fellow Californian, ex-veep Kamala Harris, at the top of surveys about the 2028 Democratic presidential nominee and likewise, Newsom sits at the top of the pack in betting markets like Kalshi as he rails against the Trump administration.
Newsom signed a bill Thursday that extends a $590 million bridge loan to BART, Muni, AC Transit, and Caltrain — expected to stave off severe service cuts that could include closing stations and slashing routes for millions of riders.
He also revealed some of his “family friends” were among the backcountry skiers killed in the deadly avalanche in the Lake Tahoe area.
State Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco championed the loan along with Senator Jesse Arreguin of Berkeley.
“This loan will avert a traffic catastrophe and save millions of Bay Area transit riders from losing their ride to work, family, and school,” Wiener said.
The bill comes with a 12-year repayment term and won’t hurt the state’s general fund, according to Newsom.
Transit advocates are preparing a regional ballot measure for November 2026 that would impose a sales tax increase and raise up to $1 billion in revenues to shore up transit systems.