Katie Porter Lashes Out at Trump in Flailing Response to Nasty Debate Question on Viral Meltdowns

Former Rep. Katie Porter threw a shot at President Donald Trump into her response to a nasty and intense debate question about a pair of her own well-publicized viral meltdowns.

Six candidates faced off Wednesday night in the first California gubernatorial debate since Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) exited the race under a cloud of sexual misconduct allegations, including claims of sexual assault.

Two GOP candidates — Ex-Fox Newser Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco — took the stage with four Democrats: Porter, billionaire Tom Steyer, former Biden HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan.

The Nexstar debate was moderated by anchors Nikki Laurenzo of FOX40 and Frank Buckley of KTLA 5.

Porter took considerable heat for attacking an interviewer in one viral clip and berating a staffer in another. Buckley grilled her about the incidents with a highly personal hypothetical — how would she tell her kids to deal with “a boss like that”:

FRANK BUCKLEY: Ms. Porter, you’ve acknowledged that your interactions with an aide and with a reporter captured on videos which went viral were, in your words, “a bad look” and that you could have done better.

What have you done to address those concerns?

And as a person who frequently speaks about being a parent on the campaign trail, what would you tell your own kids if they ever faced a boss like that? You have 60 seconds.

KATIE PORTER: I apologized that day to that staffer four years ago, and I took responsibility then, and I have taken responsibility since, acknowledging that it was not the right way to treat someone.

And that is a big contrast to what we have seen other candidates do when they have been called out for misconduct.

I’m proud that that staffer on that video and I continued to work together for four years following that incident, and it speaks to how I addressed it.

I work hard with my team to deliver for Californians. Things like free COVID testing in the first weeks of the pandemic, things like cracking down on pharmaceutical price gouging, calling out a bank CEO for the fact that their employees couldn’t pay for housing.

All of my accomplishments have come from my team. And I would say that if somebody is treating you rudely, you should speak up. And that’s what I would want my children to do.

And that’s what I did when I was being pushed again and again and again to kowtow, to give in and defend Donald Trump when he was engaged in despicable actions.

I wasn’t going to do that for that reporter and I will not do it as governor.

FRANK BUCKLEY: Ms. Porter, thank you very much.

The question that set Porter off in that interview was: “What do you say to the 40% of California voters, who you’ll need in order to win, who voted for Trump?”

Watch above via KTLA.

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