California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton has criticized Gavin Newsom for treating the Golden State as merely a stepping stone to the White House. He argues that the governor is hesitant to campaign on his record in California, frequently changing his stance on key policy issues that could influence support in the 2028 Democratic presidential primary.
He wrote on X:
Newsom is the most useless Governor in America — a man more obsessed with his presidential ambitions than the people he was elected to serve. While Californians drown in homelessness, flee skyrocketing taxes, and watch their cities burn, Gavin’s busy perfecting his hair and… pic.twitter.com/Uh9VxJDDWP
— Steve Hilton (@SteveHiltonx) March 4, 2026
Newsom is the most useless Governor in America — a man more obsessed with his presidential ambitions than the people he was elected to serve. While Californians drown in homelessness, flee skyrocketing taxes, and watch their cities burn, Gavin’s busy perfecting his hair and treating California like a stepping stone to the White House. California deserves a leader, not a photo op. Californians deserve better.
“It’s confusing as to what platform he could possibly be running on,” Hilton told Newsmax, adding:
You see the amount of people leaving the state because of high taxes. They’ve spent billions of dollars on the homeless situation there, but it’s exploded instead. Drug addiction, exploding. I mean, crime going up, you name it. And yet he seems to be focusing on this left-wing radical ideology that even Democrats overwhelmingly do not believe that children should be mutilated and that they should not be chemically castrated. So how is it possible that he thinks he could be the next president of the United States here? It’s incredible.
We have the highest poverty rate in America, highest unemployment rate, highest cost of living for everything, gas, electric, insurance, housing, you name it, the most expensive in the country. And as you say, instead of fixing any of that, he’s pushing this far-left ideology, and every single thing he does puts him on the wrong side of common sense. Just the other week, he was saying that he couldn’t do anything about an evil child rapist being released early from prison. And he just stood there and said, I have nothing I can do about it. It’s just unbelievable.
Not only is his record in California poor, but it is also unclear whether Newsom intends to align himself with the moderate faction of his party or fully embrace its progressive wing on national platforms. To complicate matters further, Newsom has changed several of his policy positions over the past year, including his views on Israel and the participation of men in women’s sports.
After the Hamas terrorist attacks in 2023, he expressed support for Israel’s right to defend itself. However, just this week, following the start of Operation Epic Fury, Governor Newsom criticized Israel, labeling it an “apartheid state,” and suggested that the United States may need to reconsider its military support.
Newsom has gone full Mamdani.
He says the United States is being pushed by Israel into a position where it may “have to reconsider its military support,” and he’s now echoing the claim that Israel is an apartheid state.
The Democratic Party is dead.
pic.twitter.com/cebrsn1eU6— raz sauber – ?? ????? (@raz_sauber_) March 4, 2026
He has also shifted his stance on the topic of men competing in women’s sports. In a conversation with conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, Newsom expressed his opposition to this practice. However, over the past year, he has consistently pushed back against the Trump administration’s attempts to compel states to ban it.
Charlie Kirk: “Would you say no men in women’s sports?”
Newsom: “I think it’s an issue of fairness… so that’s easy to call out, the unfairness of that.”@GavinNewsom finally acknowledges the harms of gender ideology on young girls.
Awesome job, @charliekirk11. pic.twitter.com/F8IF9PsZbR
— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) March 6, 2025
“He’s got the worst record. He’s the most useless governor in America on every measure,” Hilton added.
Amen.
