Did Trump Just Bail Out Newsom?

Donald Trump, Gavin Newsom
Trump's endorsement of Steve Hilton on Truth Social almost certainly assures a smooth retirement for Nancy Pelosi, a triumphant send-off for Newsom, and victory for a party that the president has described as “radical left lunatic Democrats” in a state he says has “gone to hell.” Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
Abby Livingston
April 6, 2026

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Until recently, California Democrats were staring down a very real but unthinkable possibility: losing their first statewide race since the Schwarzenegger era. It’s not that California has moved right—Democrats control the governor’s mansion, both U.S. Senate seats, and much of the House delegation, and maintain supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature. Rather, the problem was the state’s top-two (or “jungle”) primary system.