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Porter: If Trump is going to attack California, ‘F him’

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by Ryan Mancini - 05/06/26 5:19 PM ET

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by Ryan Mancini - 05/06/26 5:19 PM ET

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On Tuesday, Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), who is among the handful of Democrats running to become California’s next governor, said if President Trump attacks California in any way, “F him.”

CNN’s Kaitlan Collins was co-moderating the network’s California gubernatorial debate when she asked Porter about a fundraising email with the subject line “F— Trump.” She asked Porter if “F Trump will be your guiding principle in dealing with the president?”

“When Donald Trump hurts California — as he has again and again — then I will absolutely stand up to him 100 percent,” Porter replied. “He has denied wildfire funding to help disaster victims here in California. He has made it clear that he is seeking to specifically punish California in canceling green energy projects here that create good, high-paying jobs while he’s allowing them to continue in other states.”

“We absolutely have to be clear about the risk that Donald Trump presents to Californians and to our economy and to our ability to change California for the better,” Porter continued. “So, if he’s going to attack California, yeah, F him.”

Collins was referring to an email Porter sent out the day before an assassination attempt on Trump’s life at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. Some on the right called out Porter, including Nick Poche, Republican National Committee spokesman, who called her “a degenerate loser who is sick in the head” in a statement to Fox News.

Collins asked San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan (D) if he also saw “F Trump” as a “good guiding principle” in being the Golden State’s governor working with Trump’s administration. He said that his approach will be to “fight for our values” and that the “best resistance” to Trump “is delivering results.”

The candidates mostly directed their attention toward Xavier Becerra. The former Health and Human Services secretary has surged to a frontrunner status after former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) dropped out of the race following several sexual misconduct allegations.

Democrats challenged Becerra’s past stances on single-payer health care. Republicans pushed back on Becerra’s legal challenges against the first Trump administration, when he served as California’s attorney general.

Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) and Republican Steve Hilton both knocked Becerra over the indictment of his former chief of staff Sean McCluskie. McCluskie pleaded guilty last year to a count of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud. Becerra said he was not involved but said if he was, “the U.S. attorney would have had me in that indictment.”

A new survey from the California Democratic Party ahead of the debate found Becerra and Hilton tied at 18 percent support each, followed by Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco (R) at 14 percent and billionaire Tom Steyer (D) at 12 percent.

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