President Trump shook up the race to replace Governor Gavin Newsom (D) by endorsing Republican Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, early Monday morning.
The President, on his Truth Social platform, told voters that he has known and respected Hilton for years.
"He is a truly fine man, one who has watched as this once great State has gone to Hell. Gavin Newscum and the Democrats have done an absolutely horrendous job," he wrote. "People are fleeing, crime is increasing, and Taxes are the highest of any State in the Country, maybe the World."
"Steve can turn it around, before it is too late, and, as President, I will help him to do so! With Federal help, and a Great Governor, like Steve Hilton, California can be better than ever before!" Trump added. "Steve Hilton has my COMPLETE & TOTAL ENDORSEMENT."
@SteveHiltonx has secured Trump’s endorsement for CA Gov. LET’S GOOOOOOOOO!!!! Make California Golden Again!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/UOq6kKTfq3
— Kira (@Kiradavis) April 6, 2026
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The move was a bit of a surprise, not because of the candidate, but considering Hilton had just told Politico on Thursday that he hadn't even discussed the matter with the President. Both he and Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco were openly courting Trump's endorsement.
It also comes as Democrats have been in panic mode, concerned that the state's election rules—in which the top two candidates in the primary, regardless of party affiliation, move on to the general election—could have resulted in two Republicans being on the ballot.
Some recent polls had Bianco and Hilton running one-two, though Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell (CA-14) is certainly in the mix. Trump's endorsement makes it far more likely that Republican support will coalesce around Hilton, dealing a devastating blow to Bianco's aspirations.
Hilton's campaign responded to Trump's nod of approval on X.
"With President Trump’s full backing and federal support, we are going to take California back and make it better than ever before!" they wrote. "Thank you, Mr. President!"
"This is the moment California has been waiting for!"
PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP JUST GAVE STEVE HILTON HIS COMPLETE & TOTAL ENDORSEMENT FOR GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA! 🇺🇸
— Steve Hilton For Governor (@TeamSteveHilton) April 6, 2026
In his powerful statement, President Trump said:
“I have known and respected Steve Hilton… for many years. He is a truly fine man… Steve can turn it around, before… pic.twitter.com/gZnuOeH80y
It's a moment for sure. I'd imagine thee moment would be when Hilton wins the general and lifts California out of the liberal swamp that Newsom has mired the great state in for eight years.
Hilton, a British immigrant who many readers recognize from his Fox News show "The Next Revolution," was formerly a political adviser to UK Prime Minister David Cameron. He is seeking to break the stranglehold Democrats have had on the Governor's mansion in the Golden State and deliver some economic relief to long-suffering residents.
He has pointed to Democrat party policies as the culprit behind skyrocketing housing and gas prices.
“On and on through every issue, I’ll be making the case that it’s 15 years of one-party rule that have brought us to this point, where working families can barely afford to pay the bills, where we have the highest unemployment," he said in an interview with CNN.
"That’s all the result of Democrat policies, not Donald Trump.”
Hilton has proposed tax relief for working Californians — eliminating state income tax on the first $100,000 of earnings and introducing a 7.5% flat tax on earnings above that — while promising to tackle the state's homelessness crisis by enforcing statewide encampment bans and expanding mental health treatment facilities.
Will Trump's endorsement propel him in his quest to make California great again?
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