Most of us have learned not to swallow everything a politician says. They play too many word games. Both Republicans and Democrats.

This is especially true of politicians who slide when asked if they have ambitions

to for

higher office. They try to leave the option open so they can be mentioned without making themselves a target.

That said, it is time for us, especially in the news media, to accept what the government is saying. Gavin Newsom talks about his presidential ambitions. Stop fantasizing about a possible Newsom race for the White House.

California’s Democratic governor has repeatedly emphasized:

He will not run for president in 2024. The telegenic 55-year-old will not run even if aging President Biden, 80, does not. But Biden is on the run, so that scenario is moot. If Biden unexpectedly drops out, Newsom would look to his longtime San Francisco ally, Vice President Kamala Harris, as the next Democratic standard-bearer. He never bumped into her.

What about 2028? Conventional wisdom is that Newsom is planning for that presidential election because, unless Biden is replaced in the White House by another Democrat before then, the party nomination will be wide open.

But I’m deeply skeptical that Newsom is even attracted to a 2028 race.

Why? Mainly because of Newsom’s lifelong struggle with dyslexia. Based on my observations and conversations with Newsom insiders, I suspect he views the presidency with some trepidation.

Dyslexia limits reading ability and affects parts of the brain that process language, according to the Mayo Clinic.

It certainly does not mean that someone with dyslexia is not suitable to become president. A few presidents have suffered from it, starting with George Washington. So Thomas Jefferson, who wrote the Declaration of Independence.

Another dyslexic patient was physicist Albert Einstein, whose name is synonymous with the word genius.

So you can adapt, as Newsom has done. But he struggled.

I found out [about dyslexia] When I was in fifth grade, Newsom told me shortly after he was installed as governor in 2019. My mother struggled with whether she should tell me about it. She didn’t want me to have an excuse. She wanted me to work hard.

With screening and trained help, he said, a child can work around the disorder and discover other strengths later in life.

Newsom has difficulty reading, especially speeches from teleprompters.

In a 2021 interview with Times reporter Taryn Luna, Newsom acknowledged: I’m fascinated by the politicians who are literally given a script or talking points by an advisor and can go there and just read the script beautifully.

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For Newsom a five

–

A short speech can take six hours of preparation and research, which is why he seems so good at speaking spontaneously. There is nothing off the cuff going on.

He said to Luna: It’s spelling, writing and just deep difficulty with reading and the reading is comprehension because I can read two chapters and literally daydream. And I read every word and I can’t remember anything unless I underlined it.

Newsom underlines and circles a lot and summarizes

reem

piles of learning material on yellow cards.

Early in his political career, Newsom said, I realized I could outsmart everyone.

It’s laborious. But imagine him trying to juggle a president’s vast global portfolio and constant speechmaking demands while adjusting to dyslexia, even with a huge staff.

I can see Newsom shuddering at the thought.

Why do I think that? Mainly because of all the effort he has gone to over the past three years to avoid giving a traditional annual State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature. It is usually the most festive day of the year at the Capitol.

But Newsom doesn’t feel he can handle the teleprompter without hours of practice. And he doesn’t like to do that in a strange environment, the Assembly chamber.

In 2021, he gave the speech at center field of an empty Dodger Stadium. It was a mistake that was widely derided. Last year, he delivered the speech in the sterile auditorium of the State Resources Agency in Sacramento, where the governor was able to practice his speech repeatedly in private. This year, he scrapped the speech entirely and took a four-city road trip to lay out his legislative agenda.

He hates giving speeches, a top aide once told me. It causes fear.

But stiffing Congress by foregoing the president’s annual State of the Union address wouldn’t play well in the nation’s Capitol.

None of this means Newson wouldn’t run for president. But read his own words.

He said last year he had no interest.

Last month, Fox TV host Sean Hannity tried to persuade the governor to discuss a possible 2024 presidential run.

Would you participate in this race under any circumstances? asked the conservative questioner. No, Newsom immediately replied. I think [Bidens] a man of decency and character. I’m really proud of the president.

Chuck Todd, NBC anchor

“

Meet the press,

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Tried again on Sunday. What if Biden?

S

does not walk?

The vice president is obviously the one in line, Newsom responded. We need to get over the idea that he won’t run. There has been so much toil and hand-wringing in this regard in recent months.

What does he say to those who urge him to flee? Time to move on.

Todd: Aren’t you planning anything? There is no plan B?

Nieuwsom: No. And perhaps no more consistent words have ever come out of my mouth than that.

But that is difficult for us in the news media to accept. A great state governor is a much better copy if he is considered a presidential candidate.

What Newsom really wants is to be seen as a national political leader. And he achieves that goal.