Porter Cuts Interview Short Over Trump Voter Question

Former California Democratic Representative Katie Porter found herself in the spotlight again when a CBS News California interview clip resurfaced in September. During the conversation, she became increasingly frustrated with a question posed by reporter Julie Watts regarding the 40% of Californians who backed President Donald Trump in the last election.

Watts asked, “What would you say to the 40% of California voters who voted for Trump (the people you need to win)?” Porter’s response was abrupt, as she seemed ready to end the interview right then and there.

Porter replied, “Ma’am, how do we need them to win? … If it’s a general election, yes. If it’s me and the Republicans, I think I’ll win over the people who didn’t vote for Trump.”

As the interview progressed, Watts challenged Porter’s claims, which led to her displaying visible irritation. Eventually, Porter decided to terminate the conversation.

Watts then noted, “But you said we don’t need the people who voted for Trump.”

To this, Porter shot back, “Well, you asked if we needed them to win. I feel like this is unnecessarily argumentative. What is your question?”

The reporter later emphasized that he posed similar questions to other candidates, insisting he was just performing his journalistic duty by seeking clarity.

Porter stated, “What I’m saying to you is, I don’t want this to continue, let’s stop, thank you.”

Watts followed up, asking, “Aren’t you going to do an interview with us?”

Porter retorted, “No, it’s not like this. You don’t have seven follow-ups for every question you ask.” Despite Watts noting others had answered multiple questions, Porter insisted, “I don’t care, I don’t care, I want to have fun and positive conversations.” She expressed frustration over the format, saying, “If we’re going to create follow-up questions for each question, we’ll never get there. I’ve never had to do something like this before. To end the interview. I am running for governor because I am a leader.”

Although Porter is currently leading other Democrats in the primary race, she holds a six-point advantage over Republican Steve Hilton. A recent poll from Zogby Strategies indicated the potential for a competitive race ahead, especially considering she previously lost a Senate bid to fellow Democrat Adam Schiff in 2024.