Gov. Gavin Newsom‘s wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, also known as the First Partner of California, dodged a question on Friday about whether her husband was aspiring to run for president during an MS NOW interview.
MS NOW host Stephanie Ruhle asked the question after Newsom argued that she and her husband were being targeted by the Trump administration’s DOJ and called it a “fishing expedition.” She said the GOP and right-leaning media believed the California governor was going to run for president and wanted to silence him.
Ruhle asked, “Is he aspiring for the presidency?”
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“I believe right now we are focused on California. We built a foundation. I’ve been focused on women and children and communities. I’m really proud of the work we’re doing to close the women’s wealth gap, the women’s wage gap to get women on public company boards,” she said.
California’s first lady speculated that she and the governor were a threat to the GOP because they champion diversity.
“We’re trying to set California up for success. We are the fourth-largest economy under my husband’s leadership. California GDP has surged 40% higher than Germany and China’s, faster than U.S. GDP growth. It’s really exciting to be in California. Diversity is our secret sauce. It’s what my husband and I stand for and represent and champion. And so I guess in that regard, we’re a threat to the GOP,” she said.
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Newsom told Ruhle they were focused on California and saving democracy.
“Right now we’re focused on California, and we’re focused on saving our democracy because clearly we have an unhinged leader who is coming at his political enemies and trying to intimidate us all, sow fear, distrust and chaos,” she said.
She continued, “The world is looking at us going, what is going on in America right now or in the United States of America right now? And they’re extremely concerned and it’s destabilizing. And so we have an opportunity to right the ship, again, not just in California, but across the country and save our democracy.”
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Gov. Newsom has said he would give a 2028 presidential run serious consideration after the 2026 midterms.
The governor took aim at President Donald Trump in June that the Department of Justice was investigating him and his wife at his direction.
“After calling for my arrest last year, Donald Trump directed his Department of Justice to investigate me,” he said in a video statement in June. “And just in the last week, I’ve learned his campaign has reached my own home: to get me, he’s coming after my wife, Jen.”
The governor also claimed the investigation is intended to undermine any potential White House bid he may pursue in the future.
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“Donald Trump isn’t just coming after me because of my mean Tweets. He’s coming after me because I am considering running for President,” he said. “Because he hates that I’ve consistently called him out – over and over again – for his lies and deceit. Donald Trump is simply the most corrupt President in American history.”
Newsom’s wife, Jennifer, is a documentary filmmaker who runs The Representation Project, a nonprofit organization that seeks to advance feminism through media production. The charity has attracted “pay-for-play” allegations, with critics claiming that corporations with business interests in California donate to the organization to gain influence over Newsom.
Fox News’ Bonny Chu and Robert Schmad contributed to this report.
