A Democrat running for California governor called out his own party for problems in the state and said President Donald Trump is not to blame.
Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa argued that California’s homelessness crisis and rising costs grew under the leadership of Democrats, and Trump cannot be blamed for the effects of those policies.
In an interview on MS NOW’s “The Weekend: Primetime,” Villaraigosa said, “We can’t put everything on Donald Trump.”
Even lifelong Democrat and former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa just ADMITTED the truth on MSNBC:
“We can’t put everything on Donald Trump.”
California has the highest homelessness, the highest gas prices, the highest utilities, the highest home prices, and people who can’t… pic.twitter.com/p7jExU7oK4
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) May 17, 2026
“We have the highest homelessness in the United States of America, the highest gas prices, the highest utilities, and the highest home prices. People can’t afford rent. And those happened under Democratic policies,” Villaraigosa said.
“I’ve been the stink bomb in the elevator, if you will, in challenging some of this,” the former mayor, who served from 2005 to 2013, added. “And so this candidacy is important.”
He weighed in on California’s top-two primary system, predicting that the general election would end up with a candidate from each party.
We had a Senate race, it was a Democrat and Republican. The last governor’s race was a Democrat and Republican. That’s what this one will be,” Villaraigosa said. “In fact, the experts have said there’s a better chance of two Democrats than two Republicans.”
Despite the gubernatorial candidate’s remarks about not blaming Trump for California’s woes, he still echoed his fellow Democrats by referring to the president as a “threat to our democracy.”
“Look, I came out of the civil rights movement. I’m here today because it’s the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act that opened up the country to me,” Villaraigosa said. “And Donald Trump is a threat to our democracy.”
Yet, he suggested Democrats need to look at themselves.
“We’ve got to look in the mirror,” he said. “When you’re losing the middle, you’ve got to look in the mirror and say, ‘What do we need to do to make the changes we need to restore confidence in us as a party?’”
Villaraigosa also cautioned about driving up taxes and losing wealthy Californians.
“We over rely in this state on the billionaires and on high-net-worth individuals,” he contended. “We’re a very progressive state, and we have a progressive tax system. And so, if they all leave, we won’t be able to balance our budget.”
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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