California GOP Candidate Critiques Newsom’s Climate Summit Attendance

Steve Hilton, a Republican candidate for governor in California, criticized Governor Gavin Newsom’s participation in a climate change summit in Brazil. He labeled it a “perfect encapsulation” of how the Democratic Party’s one-party rule has led to the “ruin” of the state.

During an appearance on Breitbart News Saturday, Hilton remarked that while Newsom was at the United Nations’ COP30 conference discussing climate change, his own policies at home were “crushing working people.” He emphasized that the situation reflects how the government has negatively impacted California over the last 15 years, with wealth becoming increasingly concentrated among the rich while ordinary citizens struggle.

“Here’s Newsom, flying to the Amazon to lecture on climate change, all while back in California, his climate policies are harming workers by shutting down the oil and gas industry. That’s driving gas prices through the roof,” Hilton stated.

He highlighted that, despite California’s rich oil reserves, the state has the highest gas prices in the nation, even surpassing Hawaii. “It’s average working people, not Newsom and his affluent associates, who suffer. They are the ones commuting long hours,” Hilton noted.

Hilton pointed out the hypocrisy in Democrats’ policies, labeling them a “fraud.” He argued that no matter their stated intentions, these policies do little to actually address climate issues.

“The most concerning part,” he said, “is Newsom preaching to the world while ignoring that a significant amount of oil extracted from the Amazon ends up in California. This shows not only a lack of understanding but a complete failure to manage resources and respond to crises like the wildfires.” He criticized Newsom for blaming these disasters on climate change without addressing the failures in forest management that exacerbate the problem.