As ballot tallies continued shifting in California’s primary election, President Donald Trump and a wave of right-wing media figures began alleging that vote-counting fraud was responsible — claims that state officials and interviewers said lacked any supporting evidence.
From Celebration to Fraud Claims
Early returns from the California primary prompted enthusiasm among conservatives, with bloggers, podcasters, and social media users pointing to results as evidence the state was moving toward Republicans. Steve Hilton, a British-born former Fox News commentator running for governor, led a field of 61 candidates in initial vote totals, while Spencer Pratt, a Republican running for Los Angeles mayor who aired AI-generated parodies of incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, briefly appeared in second place in that race.
As counting progressed, the picture changed. Pratt fell to third place in the mayoral contest, and Hilton’s advantage in the governor’s race narrowed. By Monday, Hilton held second place behind Democrat Xavier Becerra, with his lead over billionaire Tom Steyer trimmed to roughly five percentage points. For context, the latest polling had shown Becerra and Hilton leading the open governor’s primary.
The tightening results prompted an about-face in tone across right-wing media. Rather than attributing the shift to standard late-counting patterns — California routinely processes mail-in and provisional ballots over days or weeks following election night — commentators and public figures began asserting without evidence that the count was being manipulated.
Trump Confronted on Fraud Claims
President Trump, appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press in an interview aired Sunday, accused California election officials of “cheating.” When NBC host Kristen Welker pressed him for specific evidence, Trump replied, “All I have to do is look… No, they’re crooked… You’re either crooked or you’re stupid.” Welker responded directly: “But sir, that’s not evidence. That’s how they count the votes in California.” Trump ended the interview shortly after, removed his microphone, and told Welker “Thank you, darling, have a good time.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson amplified the sentiment Monday, saying “everybody knows instinctively something is wrong,” without providing specifics.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli added fuel to the claims by posting on X that federal prosecutors were coordinating with the FBI on what he described as “multiple election fraud investigations.” He provided no additional details, case numbers, or supporting documentation.
How California Counts Votes
California law allows mail ballots postmarked by Election Day to be received and counted for days afterward, a policy that consistently produces significant shifts in vote totals after election night. Election experts and state officials have repeatedly noted that late-counted ballots in California historically trend toward Democrats, a pattern that predates the current election cycle by many years.
None of the public figures making fraud allegations cited specific irregularities, named precincts, or pointed to documented discrepancies in the count.
The Los Angeles mayoral race remains unsettled, with Councilmember Nithya Raman advancing to face Mayor Bass after Pratt failed to hold his early second-place standing. The governor’s race outcome will depend on how remaining ballots break between Hilton and Steyer for the second general-election slot behind Becerra.