Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi may have let the cat out of the bag on Gavin Newsom’s White House ambitions, gushing over the California governor as “hardworking” and “responsible” before hinting his White House run is a matter of when, not if.
The soon-to-retire Pelosi was pressed during a Politico event Tuesday on whether she’d support Newsom for president and appeared to let it slip that the globetrotting star Dem will indeed launch a White House bid in 2028.
“When he decides to run, we’ll find out what that will be,” said the former speaker.
Pelosi, 86, was asked by Politico columnist Jonathan Martin what she’d do if both Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris threw their hat in for the White House.
The two California Democrats are considered early frontrunners in a potentially crowded field.
Pelosi initially demurred on giving a straight answer.
“Let’s let them make their announcements, okay?” she said to some laughter. “We’re talking about speculation. We don’t know who’s running. We’ll find out soon.”
Newsom and Pelosi are distantly related by marriage, Martin noted.
Pelosi then heaped praise on Newsom, saying most people don’t know about how “hard-working” he is.
“Ever since he was a boy, I would see him work hard in his studies,” she said. “He’s always been responsible, but again, if people, when people make their decision, then we can make a decision about that.”
Newsom has publicly claimed he’s still making a decision about whether to run.
Both Newsom and Harris, also from the Bay Area, have heavily hinted at running in 2028.
Harris has made moves that could signal shoring up support, such as reaching out to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, an important figure in the far-left base where she will need support.
Newsom, meanwhile, has positioned himself as a chief antagonist to President Donald Trump.
One thing Pelosi did make clear on Tuesday: she was not going to be directly involved in serving on any presidential campaign.
“In terms of being involved in a political presidential campaign, never,” she said.
