California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton told Newsmax on Monday that he told President Donald Trump how good it will be to have a governor in the Golden State willing to work with his administration to tackle waste and fraud rather than resist federal efforts.
On "Rob Schmitt Tonight," Hilton said that he spoke with Trump shortly after the president endorsed his campaign Sunday night on Truth Social.
"I said how amazing it's going to be when you have a governor in California wanting to work with the federal administration to solve some of these problems, rather than what they're doing now, which is endlessly blocking attempts at reform at the federal level," Hilton said.
The endorsement from Trump marks a significant boost for Hilton.
Polls reportedly show that he and fellow Republican Chad Bianco, the Riverside County sheriff, are closely bunched with three Democrats: Rep. Eric Swalwell, former Rep. Katie Porter, and billionaire activist Tom Steyer.
Under California law, the top two finishers in the June 2 open primary will advance to November's election, regardless of party.
Hilton contrasted his approach with that of term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom, arguing that California's current leadership has resisted federal efforts to address spending and accountability.
"Instead of constantly putting the burden on taxpayers across the country, we've got to get our own house in order," Hilton said. "That starts by cutting spending massively, not a little bit, [but] a lot."
Hilton pointed to what he described as a dramatic increase in California spending, saying the state budget has surged even as outcomes have worsened.
"In California ... the more they spend, the worse it gets," he said. "In the last five years, it's gone up 75% in California."
He added that despite higher spending, the state faces "the highest poverty rate, highest unemployment rate, highest cost of living, worst business climate," along with worsening crime and homelessness.
Hilton said his campaign is focused heavily on identifying and eliminating waste and fraud, citing findings from his campaign initiative, the California Department of Government Efficiency, or Cal DOGE.
"Our estimate last week, $425 billion in fraud in the last five years, $80 billion a year," he said. "That's nearly 20% of the budget."
If elected, Hilton said he would target what he called "the corrupt relationship" between top Democrats and public sector unions, including what he described as unsustainable pension and healthcare commitments.
"They're growing the government workforce, growing their pensions and benefits completely unsustainably in exchange for political donations," he said.
Hilton also stressed that reforming those systems is essential to avoiding federal bailouts.
"We have to do it here so that we stop constantly putting the burden on the rest of the country," he said.
His conversation with Trump, Hilton suggested, reflected a broader goal of aligning California more closely with federal efforts to reduce spending and improve accountability.
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