Matthew Wilson
Well, that’s awkward! California gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter recently sat down for an interview. But things blew up with the politician trying to make a quick exit.
Videos by Rare
The question was about President Donald Trump. Reporter Julie Watts asked her, “What do you say to the 40% of California voters, who you’ll need in order to win, who voted for Trump?”
This was Porter’s response: “I don’t want this all on camera.”
What happened: The interview happened last month with CBS, but the footage just leaked this week. Porter is seeking to replace Governor Gavin Newsom in the state. The reporter wanted to know how she would flip Republicans to her cause.
Porter insisted she would find a way to get every vote possible. Finally, she said, “I feel like this is unnecessarily argumentative. What is your question?”
Katie Porter Meltdown
Watts responded, “Every other candidate has answered this question. This is not argumentative.”
When the question was repeated, Porter could be seen trying to take her microphone off.
- “I don’t want to keep doing this. I’m going to call it,” Porter said. “I want to have a pleasant, positive conversation… And if every question you’re going to make up a follow-up question, then we’re never going to get there.”
- “I don’t want this all on camera,” she also said. She then cut off the interview, saying, “I’ve never had to do this before.”
Politicians Respond: Prior to the interview, Porter had a 7 point lead over her rivals. Now, her rivals are jumping on the meltdown to boost their own campaigns.
“This is a pattern for [Katie Porter]. No candidate for Governor should hide from the press or mistreat them — we owe it to the public to be transparent,” state superintendent Tony Thurmond jabbed. “If she can’t answer basic questions from a reporter, how can Californians expect her to stand up to President Trump?”
Former California state Speaker Antonio Villaraigos also said, “We need a leader who will solve hard problems and answer simple questions.”
“I’m not interested in excluding any vote. Every Californian deserves affordable health care, safe streets, a roof over their head and a living wage,” former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra wrote.
