Massive Trump Endorsement Shakes California Politics

President Trump’s endorsement of Steve Hilton for California governor signals a direct challenge to decades of Democratic control that has doubled the state budget while driving out millions of residents through crushing taxes and failed policies.

Story Highlights

Trump gives “complete and total endorsement” to Steve Hilton, promising federal support to help fix California’s decline under one-party Democratic rule
Hilton proposes cutting state spending to pre-pandemic levels and slashing taxes to exempt over 7 million households from state income tax
California’s budget exploded from $161 billion to $322 billion in a decade while crime, housing costs, and population flight worsened under Democratic leadership
The endorsement consolidates Republican support before the June primary, potentially preventing a Democratic lockout in California’s top-two system

Trump Backs Hilton to “Make California Great Again”

President Donald Trump issued his “complete and total endorsement” of Steve Hilton for California governor via Truth Social, calling the conservative candidate a “truly fine man” who will reverse the state’s decline. Trump’s statement explicitly promised federal assistance under a Hilton administration, attacking incumbent Governor Gavin Newsom for presiding over what Trump characterized as California’s destruction. The endorsement came just weeks before the state Republican convention, timing observers note was strategic to unify GOP support ahead of the June 2 primary election.

Fiscal Reform Plan Targets Bloated State Spending

Hilton’s campaign centers on rolling back California’s state budget to pre-pandemic levels, a reduction that would reverse decades of unchecked growth. The state budget doubled from $161 billion in 2015-16 to $322 billion in 2025-26, representing a 50 percent increase even after adjusting for inflation, without corresponding improvements in services or quality of life. Hilton proposes tax cuts that would exempt 7.1 million California households from state income tax entirely, funded by eliminating bureaucratic waste and restraining spending growth. This approach directly challenges the tax-and-spend policies that have made California the highest-taxed state in the nation while driving residents and businesses to flee.

Working Families Bear Brunt of Democratic Policies

California families face the nation’s highest taxes alongside skyrocketing housing costs, unaffordable energy prices, and deteriorating public safety under Democratic supermajority rule. Hilton’s platform emphasizes practical results over ideological commitments, promising affordable energy, water, and infrastructure through reduced regulation and federal collaboration. The candidate has proposed working with Trump’s Interior Secretary on federal forest management and timber programs that could benefit rural communities neglected by Sacramento elites. For working-class Californians, Hilton frames the election as a choice between continued decline under Democratic control or restoration of the “California Dream” through limited government and pro-worker growth policies.

Endorsement Reshapes GOP Primary Dynamics

Trump’s backing positions Hilton as the clear Republican frontrunner in a race where Democrats have splintered across more than ten candidates. Recent polling shows Hilton and Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco leading the GOP field, with the endorsement potentially dealing a fatal blow to Bianco’s campaign according to political observers. California’s top-two primary system means the two highest vote-getters advance regardless of party, creating scenarios where Democrats could lock out Republicans entirely. However, Trump’s endorsement, while potentially sacrificing a Republican-versus-Republican runoff opportunity, consolidates conservative support behind Hilton for a stronger general election position against a divided Democratic field.

President Donald Trump has endorsed conservative commentator Steve Hilton in the California gubernatorial race. https://t.co/lRHogYjUuw

— KTVU (@KTVU) April 6, 2026

Jon Fleischman, former California Republican Party political director, observed the endorsement’s timing was “not accidental,” coming just before the state convention where delegate support will prove crucial. While Trump remains unpopular statewide with only 30 percent approval, his 76 percent approval among California Republicans gives him decisive influence over the party base. No Republican has won the California governorship since Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006, making Hilton’s federal-state partnership strategy under a Republican administration a unique advantage in challenging twenty years of Democratic dominance that has left millions of Californians feeling abandoned by their own government.