Key facts
- President Trump asserted that his public statements regarding voter fraud claims in California influenced the state's election results.
- Trump stated that his pressure led to the swift approval of Steve Hilton's advancement to the general election.
- Steve Hilton, a candidate backed by Trump, secured second place in the state's primary.
- California officials had indicated that vote counting, particularly for mail-in ballots, could extend for days or weeks.
President Trump stated that his amplification of voter fraud claims in California was instrumental in the state's decision to quickly approve Steve Hilton's advancement to the general election for governor. Trump told reporters that after initially observing a candidate's unexpected loss in a runoff, he began to publicly discuss the situation and apply pressure.
"I started talking about Steve Hilton who’s a fantastic guy and I saw them say it was going to be two weeks before they knew, and I started hitting them," Trump recounted. "And they approved Steve Hilton very quickly. There was too much heat on them."
Hilton, who has received Trump's backing, secured a place in the general election earlier this week by finishing second in the state's primary, behind former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. Trump and his allies have frequently alleged, without providing evidence, that the Los Angeles mayoral race was marred by voter fraud, citing the extended period required to count votes. California election officials had previously cautioned that the final tally, especially with a significant number of mail-in ballots, could take days or even weeks to finalize due to state regulations that allow extended validation periods for such ballots.