Gavin Newsom — While Fishing With Jake Tapper — Says He’s Out on 2028 Run if Kamala Harris Is In
Gavin Newsom — While Fishing With Jake Tapper — Says He’s Out on 2028 Run if Kamala Harris Is In
Sean JamesMon, September 14, 2026 at 9:45 PM UTC
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(Photo Credit: CNN)
If she’s in, he’s out.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) told CNN anchor Jake Tapper he will not run for president in 2028 if former Vice President Kamala Harris decides to try again. The liberal governor dished the revelation on Monday while he and Tapper were recorded fly fishing together in Montana — and it appeared to mildly stun the news host.
“I wouldn’t run if she ran,” Newsom said.
Tapper turned to the gov while holding his poll in the air and confirmed, “If she runs, you will not?”
Newsom acted like it was obvious he should bow out if Harris opts to run.
“Of course not, why would I?” he answered. “I wouldn’t do that to her, I wouldn’t do that to you, I wouldn’t waste everyone’s time. Who needs that?”
His answer baffled Tapper.
“What do you mean?” the host asked. “That doesn’t even make sense.”
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“No, I wouldn’t,” Newsom continued. “First of all, electorally, it’s a gift from God for everybody else that can enjoy the hell out of it. Mutuality assured destruction, it services no greater good.”
The two guys — who were both sporting sunglasses and baseball caps while standing side-by-side in a stream — kept casting as they weighed the ’28 race.
Tapper told Newsom, “You do whatever you want, I don’t care” — which drew a laugh from the governor — before making the case why he should run.
“My counterargument would be like, she had a shot, and you’ve never run, and she’s run twice,” Tapper explained.
Newsom said it was “objectively true” and would be a pretty good case for him to make on the campaign trail — but he still wasn’t interested. He said the Venn diagram — which sounded like he mispronounced and called a “Zen Diagram” — between him and Harris supporters was “pure crossover,” so it didn’t make sense to run.
The governor’s announcement stands out, considering most betting markets give him the better odds of being the Democratic nominee than Harris. Newsom has the third-best chance — behind Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) — of being the Democratic nominee on both Polymarket and Kalshi, which give him a 13% shot. Harris, for comparison, is being given an 8% chance on both.
The full Tapper-Newsom fishing interview is slated to run on Tuesday.
Watch above, via the X clip from Axios reporter Alex Thompson.
The post Gavin Newsom — While Fishing With Jake Tapper — Says He’s Out on 2028 Run if Kamala Harris Is In first appeared on Mediaite.
Source: “AOL Breaking”
