Trump Claims California Governor Gavin Newsom Exits Presidential Race: Fact or Fiction?

In a recent exchange of barbs, former President Donald Trump took aim at California Governor Gavin Newsom, claiming that Newsom had “dropped out of the presidential race.” This declaration came after Newsom’s wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, publicly mocked Trump over a perceived snub from the U.S. Olympic women’s hockey team.

The incident unfolded when the Gold Medal-winning team chose not to visit Trump at the White House, prompting Jennifer Siebel Newsom to comment on the situation via social media. “Clearly they prefer arenas where women are actually respected! As they should,” she remarked on platform X, in a clear jab at Trump.

The women’s team had declined the invite following a playful comment from Trump, who suggested he would face impeachment if he failed to extend the same invitation to the female athletes that he did to the U.S. men’s hockey team.

In response to Siebel Newsom’s critique, Trump took to his platform, Truth Social, to issue a retort, sarcastically suggesting that Gavin Newsom had bowed out of the presidential race, using the nickname “Gavin Newscum” to punctuate his point.

Trump responded by blasting her husband, posting to Truth Social: ‘Wow! Gavin Newscum just dropped out of the Presidential Race!!!’

While Newsom has admitted to presidential ambitions, no Democrat or Republican has yet committed to running in 2028.

The governor, who has made a sport of mocking the president’s pugnacious style on social media, spent multiple tweets responding to the slight. 

‘It’s on page 69 of my new book. Buy it here,’ he wrote, with a link to his memoir ‘Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery,’ which is coming out on Tuesday.

The governor’s press office – which is usually even more scathing toward Trump – went a little further, writing: ‘WOW. THE PRESIDENT IS SUNDOWNING HARDER THAN USUAL TONIGHT!!!’

Donald Trump claimed that Gavin Newsom (pictured left) ‘dropped out of the presidential race’ after the liberal governor’s wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom (pictured right)  mocked him over a snub from the US Olympic women’s hockey team

Tuesday evening, Trump had Newsom on the mind, posting to Truth Social: ‘Wow! Gavin Newscum just dropped out of the Presidential Race!!!’

When contacted by The Daily Mail, a spokesperson for Newsom directed us to his tweet. 

Newsom did reveal earlier this week why he may not run for president, despite constantly topping the list of potential 2028 Democratic Party contenders.

Speaking with CNN’s State of the Union host Dana Bash, Newsom noted that his family is skeptical about a rumored presidential run.

Asked whether his family wants him to run for president, Newsom acknowledged to Bash, ‘It depends on the day.’ 

The governor also shared with the CNN host a recent incident in which one of his sons texted him a headline that suggested he was preparing to run for president and asked if it was true.

‘I said, “No, I will do this as a family,”‘ Newsom shared. 

His son then reportedly replied: ‘You can’t,’ adding, ‘I’m too young … You need to spend more time with us.’

‘How do you deal with that one?’ Newsom asked Bash, adding, ‘I’m busted.’

Jennifer Siebel Newsom posted to X on Tuesday about the Gold Medal winners’ refusal to visit Trump at the White House

Newsom is building a carefully curated image of himself as the quintessential American family man, husband and father to his four children.

His Sunday CNN appearance came ahead of the release of his memoir.

The governor also launched a podcast last year and has not been afraid to host guests who vehemently disagree with him politically, including former Trump strategist Steve Bannon, and the late youth conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated last September.

Newsom has also put himself forward as a figurehead of the anti-Trump resistance, clashing with the Trump White House on politics and policy alike.

The California governor was the architect of Proposition 50, which took the power to redraw the state’s map away from the bipartisan California Citizens Redistricting Commission until 2030 and returned it to the state legislature, which is controlled by Democrats.

The move was made to reallocate the state’s congressional seats to leave fewer in the GOP’s column, a direct attack on the Republican House Majority and Trump’s ability to govern in Washington. 

Newsom has also taken actions to resist the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement measures, limiting the degree to which California law enforcement complies with federal ICE agents, and calling them a terrorist group.

During last year’s government shutdown, Newsom made $80 million in SNAP funds available to food banks in his state during a pause in federal funds, and he also sent the National Guard to help run them. However, some locations have rejected the troops’ help.

Trump responded to Siebel Newsom’s tweet by claiming her husband had dropped out of the presidential race

The Trump Administration has noted at the time that states that choose to spend money on their food programs will not be reimbursed for their actions.

On Monday, Newsom created a firestorm of controversy when he attended an event in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday to promote his book.

The California governor was asked about his lifelong struggle with dyslexia to which he responded: ‘I’m not trying to impress you. I’m just trying to impress upon you. I’m like you. I’m no better than you.’

‘You know, I’m a 960 SAT guy…you’ve never seen me read a speech because I cannot read – a speech.’

Rapper Nicki Minaj, an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump, responded to the clip by claiming Newsom was trying to appeal to black voters by telling ‘them how stupid he is & that he can’t read.’

Minaj then accused the governor of slowing down his speech by talking in a ‘sporadic cadence.’

‘He’s not just TELLING them that they’re all probably stupid & probably can’t read, he’s LITERALLY SLOW-ING-DOWN-HIS-SPEECH to make them understand the words that are coming out of his mouth!!!! As if they’re children!!!!’

Newsom’s spokesperson responded right-wing outrage by telling the Daily Mail: ‘First MAGA mocked his dyslexia and now they’re calling him racist for talking about his low SAT scores. This is fake MAGA-manufactured outrage.’ 

The governor, who has made a sport of mocking the president’s pugnacious style on social media, spent multiple tweets responding to the slight and included a plug for his new book

‘The Governor has said this publicly for years — including with Charlie Kirk and dozens of other audiences. The same people who excused or ignored Trump’s racist ape video can go f**k themselves.’

Other conservative media personalities also piled on Newsom for sharing his difficulties reading. 

‘This clip will haunt him forever,’ wrote former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly. 

Conservative firebrand Mark Levin claimed,  ‘If any Republican said what this moron Newscum said their political careers would be over. Let’s see how the Democrats and their media react.’

Newsom is widely viewed as a leading contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, as the party searches for direction following defeat in 2024. 

Prediction markets and early Democratic voter polling show Newsom leading the field of potential contenders, along with former Vice President Kamala Harris.