Democratic California gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter appeared to lose her cool during a recent interview with CBS News when pressed about her strategy for winning over President Donald Trump’s supporters.
Footage released Tuesday showed CBS correspondent Julie Watts asking Porter how she planned to appeal to Trump voters in a general election. The exchange quickly turned tense. “How would I need them in order to win, ma’am?” Porter replied, laughing off the question.
When Watts pointed out that “unless you think you’re going to get 60 percent of the vote,” Porter would still need to court some Trump backers, the former congresswoman appeared visibly frustrated. Porter insisted she had proven her ability to draw cross-party support in past races but objected to the tone of the questioning. “You asked me if I needed them to win. I feel like this is unnecessarily argumentative. What is your question?” she said, holding up her hands.
As Watts noted that every candidate was being asked similar questions, Porter abruptly attempted to ended the interview. “I don’t want to keep doing this. I’m going to call it,” she said, taking off her microphone. When asked if she would continue, Porter shot back, “Nope, not like this I’m not. Not with seven follow-ups to every single question you ask.”
“I don’t want to have an unhappy experience with you,” Porter said. “And I don’t want this all on camera.”
The awkward exchange underscores the challenges Porter faces connecting with independent and conservative voters in a deeply divided California political climate.
