President Donald Trump gave some interesting advice to former Vice President Kamala Harris regarding a potential run for governor of California.
“One thing she’s gotta do, she’s gotta start doing interviews,” Trump said during a sit-down with OutKick’s Clay Travis aboard Air Force One. “You can’t get away with both of them. During COVID he did no interviews, and he got away with it because of COVID,” Trump added, referencing former President Joe Biden.
Harris is seriously considering a run for governor and is expected to decide by the end of summer, Fox News reported.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, who is often viewed as a potential presidential contender in 2028, is barred from seeking re-election in 2026 due to term limits. This paves the way for a likely competitive field of Democratic candidates vying for the state’s top office, which has a long-standing progressive reputation.
One former advisor to Harris stated that she would be a “great” fit for the job, highlighting her experience at both the national and state levels.
“On a national level, what Newsom has been able to do with that job, there is a lot of upside with what she can do as the governor of the fifth-largest economy with her name ID when our party is looking for national leadership and California looking for good governance – especially at a time when California is going through a lot,” the former advisor said.
However, Harris faces scrutiny over her presidential campaign and how she handled it, including allegations that she often avoided interviews, Fox noted further.
After Biden exited the race and quickly endorsed Harris, the vice president went 39 days without granting an interview, until she appeared in one alongside her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, on August 29. As critics claimed she was avoiding interviews, Harris increased her appearances with both national and local outlets. However, she soon faced accusations of evading tough questions.
One of the most damaging incidents was a reportedly planned interview with influential podcaster Joe Rogan that ultimately fell through. Rogan suggested that Harris’s team had imposed conditions on the questions he could ask.
In contrast, Trump did appear on Rogan’s podcast, an interview that eventually led the podcaster to endorse Trump’s White House bid.
Newsom, meanwhile, is taking heat for having MAGA Republican radio host Steve Bannon on his new podcast.
Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a rumored contender for the nomination, was among the first to criticize his colleague.
“Newsom bringing on different voices is great, we shouldn’t be afraid to talk and to debate just about anyone,” he said, Politico reported. “But Steve Bannon espouses hatred and anger, and even at some points violence, and I don’t think we should give him oxygen on any platform, ever, anywhere.”
But recent polls show both governors far behind Harris and slightly behind former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the latter of whom cleared the path for a much-anticipated 2028 presidential campaign this week after announcing that he will not run for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat.
Although he had previously stated that he was “looking” at trying to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters in one of the most competitive seats in the 2026 cycle, the former Transportation Secretary stated that he had “decided against competing” to be either governor or senator.
“I care deeply about who Michigan will elect as Governor and send to the U.S. Senate next year, but I have decided against competing in either race. I remain enthusiastic about helping candidates who share our values – and who understand that in this moment, leadership means not only opposing today’s cruel chaos, but also presenting a vision of a better alternative,” he wrote on X.
“While my own plans don’t include running for office in 2026, I remain intensely focused on consolidating, communicating, and supporting a vision for this alternative. The decisions made by elected leaders matter entirely because of how they shape our everyday lives – and the choices made in these years will decide the American people’s access to freedom, security, democracy, and prosperity for the rest of our lifetimes,” he added.
