Democratic Rep. Katie Porter thought she’d found the cheat code to winning California’s 2026 gubernatorial race: just scream profanities about President Trump on live television. Spoiler alert — it didn’t work.
Bold strategy, Katie. Really breaking new ground with the “just be really angry” approach. Nobody’s ever tried that before. Oh wait — literally every Democrat since 2016 has tried it, and they keep losing.
Porter — the progressive California congresswoman known for her sharp anti-Trump theatrics — unleashed a profanity-laced tirade against Trump during a CNN gubernatorial debate. The moment was supposed to go viral for all the right reasons. It went viral for all the wrong ones.
Even CNN’s own moderator, Kaitlan Collins, wasn’t buying it. Collins directly questioned Porter on whether this vulgar outburst would define her approach to leadership. That’s CNN — the network that spent four years cheerleading the resistance — essentially asking a Democrat candidate, “Is this really the best you’ve got?”
Yes, Kaitlan. Yes, it is. That’s all they’ve got.
The California GOP pounced immediately, and rightfully so. When your big debate moment is an f-bomb instead of a policy position, you’ve already told voters everything they need to know about your campaign. Porter had a chance to talk about border security. She could have addressed fossil fuel policy. She could have laid out an actual vision for governing the largest state in the country.
Instead she chose to curse out the President of the United States on national television. During Trump’s second term. While he’s actively governing. Brilliant.
The backlash was swift and merciless. Fox News ran it. Social media turned it into a meme. The moment that was supposed to rally the progressive base instead became a national joke — another exhibit in the ever-growing museum of Democrats Who Thought Rage Was a Substitute for Ideas.
Here’s what Porter and every Democrat who tries this stunt never seem to understand: the people who already hate Trump were going to vote for you anyway. The profanity doesn’t win them over — they’re already won. The people you actually need to convince? The moderates, the independents, the voters who are tired of performative outrage? They watched that clip and thought, “This is the person who wants to run California?”
Add Katie Porter to the pile. Right next to every other genius who thought the path to power was cursing louder than the last person who lost. The profane rant was supposed to make her look tough. It made her look desperate.
California deserves better. Actually, scratch that — California keeps voting for exactly this. Maybe they deserve each other.
