For someone who built her political brand on being the unflinching truth-teller with a whiteboard, former Rep. Katie Porter sure folded fast when faced with a few basic follow-up questions. In a now-viral interview with CBS reporter Julie Watts — one that originally aired back in mid-September but is catching fire again online — Porter showed exactly why her bid for California’s governorship might be headed straight for a political brick wall.
The clip doesn’t lie. It starts as tame as can be — a softball question about Governor Gavin Newsom’s redistricting plan. Porter is all smiles and support. Then, Watts pivots to a totally valid and obvious question: How does Porter plan to win over the 40% of Californians who voted for Donald Trump in 2024?
That’s when the gears come off.
Got my hands on the video of Katie Porter lashing out at a staffer during a meeting she was recording for the Biden admin, first reported by Politico.
This follows the leak of Porter’s CBS interview. Clearly there are people who have worked with Porter who don’t think she… pic.twitter.com/iVxzfTe13y
— Lauren Egan (@Lauren_V_Egan) October 8, 2025
Porter, visibly flustered, responds with, “How would I need them in order to win, ma’am?” You could practically hear the record scratch. It was a jaw-dropping moment — not because of the content of her answer, but because she seemed genuinely stunned that a journalist might ask how she intends to appeal to a broad swath of the electorate in a state that, while deep blue, still includes millions of non-Democrats.
When Watts calmly and logically followed up, Porter’s responses went from evasive to combative. Despite claiming she’d previously won over Republican voters in her purple Orange County district, she seemed allergic to the idea that she might need to do it again. The exchange quickly turned circular — Porter claiming she doesn’t need Trump voters because she can win without them, then bragging she has won over Trump voters before, then insisting that she wants to win “every vote” while also saying the question was “unnecessarily argumentative.”
The real red flag came when she cut the interview short, dramatically removing her mic and declaring, “Not like this I’m not.” Why? Because the reporter dared to ask a few clarifying questions — something that, according to Porter herself, she’s never experienced before in an interview. That admission might be the most revealing moment of all.
The problem for Katie Porter is none of these are isolated incidents.
They speak to a pattern of borderline abusive behavior toward staff and others.
And they appear to show who she *really* is.
I don’t see how she can stay in the governor’s race.
— Chris Cillizza (@ChrisCillizza) October 8, 2025
Let’s be clear: this wasn’t a hostile, gotcha-style ambush. Julie Watts was professional, prepared, and even-keeled. She asked the same question of every candidate, and none of them ran for the hills. Only Porter melted down — and did so in a way that suggested this wasn’t a bad day, but a blind spot that’s been hiding in plain sight.
For all her campaign trail bravado, Porter appears completely unprepared for the political realities of a statewide race in a state as diverse and politically complex as California. Her Senate loss to Adam Schiff should have served as a wake-up call. Instead, she’s doubling down on the same habits: a combative tone, defensiveness when challenged, and a visible frustration that the political media isn’t just handing her the mic anymore.
