Trump endorses former Fox News host Steve Hilton for California governor
President Donald Trump endorsed former Fox News host Steve Hilton in California’s gubernatorial race Sunday night in a move that will likely change the dynamics of the wide open race to replace outgoing Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
In a post on his Truth Social platform , Trump said he’d known Hilton for years.
“Gavin Newscum and the Democrats have done an absolutely horrendous job,” Trump said, using his frequent jab at the governor. “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!”
In a statement, Hilton thanked the president and said he would cut prices by “putting common sense ahead of ideology, stopping fraud, waste, and abuse in our government, and cleaning up the corruption in Sacramento.”
Hilton is locked in a tight race with another Republican, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, as well as eight Democrats ahead of the June 2 top-two primary. Some Democrats have expressed concern that their candidates could splinter the party’s votes so much that Hilton and Bianco would advance to the general election, effectively locking Democrats out of the race. Several recent polls have shown Hilton leading the race by drawing support in the mid to upper teens, with Bianco not far behind.
Trump’s endorsement could make that scenario less plausible in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans two to one. It will likely consolidate Republican voters behind Hilton rather than splitting them between both men, according to GOP consultant Tim Rosales.
Democratic Party officials “understand the math,” Rosales said. . “They know that a Democrat versus Republican general election heavily advantages Democrats, regardless of who the candidate is on the Democratic side.”
This story was originally published April 6, 2026 at 9:58 AM.
