Trump Recasts California Rigging Claim After Steve Hilton Reaches Top-2 Runoff
Updated
Updated · CNN · Jun 11
Trump Recasts California Rigging Claim After Steve Hilton Reaches Top-2 Runoff
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Jun 11
Summary
Trump said at the White House and again on Fox News that his public pressure forced unnamed Democrats to "approve" Steve Hilton for California's gubernatorial runoff.
Hilton, projected to finish in the top two, has rejected fraud claims and said he has seen nothing warranting legal intervention.
California's process involved no approval decision: counties were still counting ballots, and media outlets later projected Hilton would advance while Spencer Pratt would fall short in Los Angeles.
Registration numbers undercut Trump's theory, with Democrats making up about 45% of California voters versus 25% Republicans, and about 55% to 15% in Los Angeles.
The episode extends Trump's pattern of revising disproved election narratives rather than abandoning them when new facts emerge.