Newsom Drops 2028 Bombshell During Cringe-Fest Interview With Jake Tapper

Interesting 2028 presidential election, aoc, california, gavin newsom, vice president kamala harris admin September 15, 2026 0 Comments

Newsom Drops 2028 Bombshell During Cringe-Fest Interview With Jake Tapper

Gavin Newsom just handed his biggest 2028 rival a free pass to the White House during one of the most bizarrely staged interviews of all time

The California governor told CNN anchor Jake Tapper he will step aside and skip a presidential bid entirely if former Vice President Kamala Harris decides to mount another campaign.

The admission came while the two men stood in a Montana river awkwardly casting fishing lines, part of an ongoing CNN series in which Tapper accompanies political figures to settings they enjoy.

Tapper ran through a list of possible Democratic contenders and landed on Harris. Newsom replied that he did not know her plans but would defer regardless, according to Thompson’s clip. “I don’t know if she runs, but we’ll see,” Newsom said, before adding that he “wouldn’t run if she ran.”

Tapper pressed for clarity. “If she runs, you will not?” he asked. Newsom treated the answer as obvious. “Of course not. Why would I? I wouldn’t do that to her, I wouldn’t do that to you, I wouldn’t waste everyone’s time. Who needs that?” he said.

The response visibly threw the host. “What do you mean? That doesn’t even make sense,” Tapper said.

Newsom defended his logic to Tapper by pointing to the supporters the two Californians share, telling CNN that a head-to-head primary would amount to “mutually assured destruction” that “services no greater good.” Newsom described their overlapping bases as “pure crossover.”

Newsom’s pledge could be nothing more than a creative excuse to get out while the getting’s good. The RealClearPolling average shows Harris leading the Democratic field with an 11-point lead over the California governor, though Newsom still outperforms her in the Kalshi betting odds.