President Trump has credited his efforts in applying pressure on what he described as “cheating” California Democrats for helping Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton secure a spot in the upcoming November general election.
In a session with reporters at the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump criticized California’s election process. His comments came in light of concerns surrounding the pace of vote counting and allegations of fraud in the state’s primary election.
These claims were partly fueled by the unexpected drop of Spencer Pratt from the second position in the Los Angeles mayoral race, despite his promising results on Election Day.
“After a week, they decided that a kid who’s leading and had all the momentum suddenly doesn’t make the runoff, and that’s when I started to hit them hard,” Trump remarked, referring to Pratt, the former reality TV personality.
Trump further emphasized his support for Steve Hilton, calling him a “fantastic guy.” He noted the delays in announcing election results, which were projected to take two weeks, and asserted that his intervention was necessary.
Continuing his criticism, Trump warned that Steve Hilton might encounter the same challenges as Pratt, expressing concerns about the integrity of the election process affecting the Republican candidate’s prospects.
Trump suggested that because “there was too much heat on them,” officials “approved Steve Hilton very quickly.”
“The only reason he got approved, he had all the votes he needed, probably to be first place,” the president added.
“But the only reason they approved Steve Hilton, it was going to be two weeks, they said. And then they approved it that night because the heat was on them because they’re cheating dogs.
“And you can’t have a great country when that happens.”
Hilton, a former Fox News host, will face Democrat Xavier Becerra in the November runoff after securing nearly 25% of the vote Tuesday, according to the AP.
“What an incredible honor to be chosen by Californians to lead the movement for change in the greatest state in the greatest nation on earth. There’s nowhere better than California,” Hilton said in a statement.
Hilton cited recent polling that shows a majority of Californians believe the state is on the wrong track and called Becerra the “ultimate career politician.”
“After 36 years in the political machine, his policies gave California the highest poverty rate, the highest unemployment rate, and the highest cost of living in America. Now he promises ‘no change’ to those policies,” he said.
The general election will take place November 3.
