Hilton Turns the Debate Personal
California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton turned a CNN debate exchange with Democrat Xavier Becerra into a direct confrontation. After Becerra accused Hilton of doing nothing beyond talking, Hilton answered that Becerra had spent a 36-year career in government without creating a job or earning money on his own. Hilton said Becerra had instead spent other people’s money in every government position he held. He then brought up Susan Rice, who reportedly worked with Becerra in the Biden Cabinet. Hilton told him on live television that Rice had described him as an “idiot” and called him “b*tch-ass.”
Susan Rice’s Words Became the Centerpiece
The dispute centers on reports that Rice privately criticized Becerra over his handling of shelters and services for trafficked children during the Biden border crisis. Hilton asked why a respected political leader who worked alongside Becerra would use those words about him. The Hilton campaign also built a website around the nickname “B*tch-Ass Becerra,” accusing him of enabling chaos, fraud, child trafficking, gender extremism, and higher costs. The site also pointed to criticism from Nancy Pelosi, an Obama speechwriter, former Biden official Xochitl Hinojosa, and other former colleagues. Those claims form the campaign’s case against Becerra as he seeks to lead California.
Career Politician Versus Job Creator
Becerra pushed back by claiming he had created “millions of jobs” through his work in Congress, his time as California attorney general while fighting Trump, and his tenure as Health and Human Services secretary. Hilton’s response was that Becerra had never created a job or had to earn money outside government. The clash gave voters two sharply different descriptions of Becerra’s career. One side pointed to public office and government action as evidence of results. The other argued that decades in government do not automatically prove private-sector experience or effective leadership.
Hilton Presses the Border Record
The most serious exchange involved unaccompanied migrant children. Hilton said Becerra, as secretary of Health and Human Services, was responsible for 479,000 children and their welfare in camps that he ran. He accused Becerra of dismantling vetting procedures and said thousands of children were sent into the reach of child sex and labor traffickers. Hilton further claimed that hundreds of thousands of children remained missing, including 100,000 under the age of ten. These were allegations Hilton made from the debate stage as he demanded an apology and a sense of responsibility. During the exchange, Becerra could be seen sipping coffee and smiling while Hilton continued pressing him on the issue.