RNC chair on Trump's California vote count comments: 'A little bit of a stretch'

Republican National Committee co-chair Michael Whatley said former President Trump's comments suggesting he could win California were “a bit of a stretch.”

In an interview with TV psychologist “Dr. Phil” McGraw published on Wednesday, Trump said he could win California even if Jesus Christ were counting the votes.

“If Jesus Christ came down and was the vote taker, I would win California, OK?,” Trump said. “In other words, if we had honest vote takers, really honest vote takers, I have tremendous support from Hispanics, fantastic, I mean, a level that no Republican has ever achieved before. But if we had honest vote takers, I would win California.”

During an interview with Fox LA anchor Elex Michaelson that aired on Friday, Whatley spoke about the need for the Republican National Committee to have poll watchers in the state, with Michaelson asking whether people should trust that their votes will be counted “fairly.”

“Yes, that's why we want to be here,” Whatley said. “California law allows anybody who is interested in running for that position to run for that position, and I think that's a really good thing.”

Michaelson then asked Whatley what Jesus' statement meant for the former president.

“Well, he feels like California, we have a lot of Republicans here, we have a lot of votes,” Whatley said. “I think he's probably been a little bit over the top.”

The anchor noted that President Trump lost California to President Biden by nearly 5 million votes in 2020, then asked if Whatley had any evidence that the former president won in California.

Whatley, who was elected co-chair of the committee in early March, said that's not the case.

“The president can talk at any time, but I think the key point is he wants to emphasize that securing our elections is very important, protecting the vote,” Whatley added.

Michaelson also questioned whether Trump's messaging about voting could be dangerous for the former president, as his supporters could believe his claims of fraud and ultimately decide not to vote.

“Exactly, and that's why we created this program,” Whatley said. “That's the conversation we're having.”