President Trump said he called a U.S. attorney in California to review primary results and asserted — without presenting evidence — that the call helped Republican Steve Hilton reach the gubernatorial runoff. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli has acknowledged a review of fraud claims, but there is no public proof linking Trump’s call to the election outcome. Hilton says he has seen no evidence of fraud, and neither Essayli nor Hilton's team immediately commented.
Trump Says He Asked U.S. Attorney To Review California Primary — Claims It Helped Steve Hilton
President Donald Trump told supporters at a Pennsylvania rally that he phoned a U.S. attorney in California and asked the office to "take a look" at the state’s primary results — and claimed without evidence that the call helped Republican Steve Hilton advance to the gubernatorial runoff.
Trump said the call prompted action almost immediately. In his account, "about an hour after the call... Mr. Hilton has won," and he added, "Had I not made that call, Steve Hilton would be watching the election from home." It was not clear which U.S. attorney he was referring to.
Who may be involved: First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, the top official in the Los Angeles-based Central District of California, announced earlier this month that his office was reviewing claims of election fraud. Essayli has not publicly confirmed a specific probe tied to Trump’s call.
Hilton's response: Steve Hilton, a former Fox News contributor and the president’s preferred candidate, has repeatedly said he has seen no evidence of fraud. Hilton told CNN his campaign has "teams and lawyers standing by" but has sought to tamp down conspiracy theories, saying Essayli "is there, and he’s taking a look at it, and I trust that if there is anything that needs to be investigated, that he will make sure it happens."
Context: The president’s comments came weeks after initial tallies showed Democrat Xavier Becerra as the early front-runner in the governor’s race, with final results that placed Hilton into the runoff arriving days later. Trump made similar, unsubstantiated allegations about other local contests, including the Los Angeles mayoral race.
Verification: There is no public evidence that Trump’s call affected the outcome. Neither Essayli nor a spokesperson for Hilton immediately responded to requests for comment. The White House did not provide additional details about the timing or recipient of the call.
Takeaway: Trump claims he urged a federal review of California’s primary and credited that intervention for boosting a preferred candidate — an assertion not supported by public evidence and not independently confirmed.
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