California’s Governor Gavin Newsom just chuckled away the idea of battling Kamala Harris in a 2028 Democratic primary, brushing it off as nothing more than destiny’s whim.

In a sit-down with CNN’s Dana Bash on State of the Union, the term-limited Democrat painted a picture of inevitability, dodging any real talk about a head-to-head clash.

Newsom, who’s eyeing the White House as his next big leap, tops the charts among potential Democratic hopefuls. But when pressed on facing off against his old ally Harris, he turned the serious question into a joke, highlighting the cozy insider world these politicians inhabit.

Bash kicked things off by noting their long friendship and similar paths in California politics.

“Kamala Harris. You write about the fact that you’ve been friends with her for a very long time, you came up together,” she said, pulling from Newsom’s new memoir. She highlighted their overlapping rises: Harris as prosecutor, California D.A., and Senator; Newsom as San Francisco Mayor, Lieutenant Governor, and now Governor.

The anchor then zeroed in on the potential collision. “What happens if and when those parallel careers intersect and collide?” Bash asked. Newsom didn’t even let her finish before bursting into laughter, showing how lightly he takes these power plays.

Trying to play it cool, Newsom quipped about their regional roots. “Well, I’m San Francisco and she’s L.A., so we’re a little bit — there’s a little distance between the two of us,” he said, as if geography matters in a national race. But Bash wasn’t buying the deflection, pushing back on the bigger stage.

“2028. The whole country,” she clarified, making it clear this isn’t some local squabble. Newsom just shrugged it off.

“That’s — you know, fate will determine that,” he replied.

He added that he’s never blocked Harris’s climb. “And I’ve never gotten in the way of her ambition, ever. I haven’t. And I don’t imagine I would in the future. But I don’t —”

Bash persisted, probing deeper: “But if you run against each other for president —”

“That’s fate,” he insisted, waving away the scenario like it’s out of his hands. He tied it back to his book’s theme, emphasizing personal control.

“You only can control what you can control. I think this entire book is that fundamental lesson. And this notion of controlling what you control, and taking responsibility for what you control, is a big part of what I try to communicate in this book.”

He even compared it to how his memoir might land with readers. “That’s the third thing, it’s like how this book will be received. It’s the third thing, I can’t control it. I can’t control whatever decisions she makes,” Newsom said, framing ambition as something beyond earthly meddling.

At the end of the day, Newsom’s laugh says it all: these Democrats aren’t worried about voters; they’re banking on the system to hand them the keys.