Is Trump a liar? California recall candidate says ‘I’m not going to go there’

When he ran for California governor in 2018, Republican John Cox received the endorsement of then-President Donald Trump.

Today, he says it’s obnoxious that Democrats, and some members of the media, are trying to make the gubernatorial recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom about the former president.

“You’re going to try to get the whole partisan battle of 2020 reinstituted into this election,” Cox said in an interview with McClatchy’s California editorial boards on Friday. “And frankly, it’s obnoxious that that’s what Mr. Newsom wants to do.”

Asked whether Trump is a liar, Cox said, “I’m not going to go there.”

“I know that I’m not a liar, I tell the truth. I know that I have the integrity,” he said.

Ads against the Newsom recall feature Trump prominently, arguing that the election is a continuation of Republican efforts to undermine democracy.

“Here’s the deal with the recall of Gavin Newsom,” Former Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren says in a 30-second spot released in July. “We’ve seen Trump Republicans across the country attacking election results and the right to vote. Now, they’re coming to grab power in California, abusing the recall process and costing taxpayers millions.”

Cox said Trump is no longer president, and “California is in crisis.”

Over the course of the hour-long interview with the editorial boards of The Sacramento Bee, The Fresno Bee, The Modesto Bee and the Tribune of San Luis Obispo, Cox touched on a broad range of issues, from vaccines, housing costs and wildfires to the recall process itself.

Cox is running again despite losing to Newsom in 2018 by a margin of more than 20 points. Although California voters say the process needs changing, Cox said he doesn’t agree with those who believe it should be used only in cases of corruption or misconduct.

“It was intended to remove an official who had strayed form his original mission,” he said. “I think it should be available to be used when a significant number of people believe that the state is so seriously headed in the wrong direction that it needs action sooner than the next election.”

Cox is vaccinated, but said he would not mandate vaccines for the coronavirus, which he argues is largely survivable by people in good health.

“I think people should get vaccinated, and I think people should be doing it voluntarily,” he said. “Frankly, I think the idea of making the vaccine mandatory, and actually requiring mask-wearing on the part of vaccinated people, is counterproductive to getting people to believe in it.”

A builder himself, Cox also railed against the high cost of building homes in California, which he says exacerbates the affordability and homelessness problems in the state.

“The big cost in California is government. It’s the delays and the layers of approvals are required,” he said. “Bringing down the cost of housing is critical. And it’s the first thing that I’ll address as the new governor.”

When it comes to wildfires, Cox argued that California should be directing money toward an “air armada” that can identify fires and extinguish them quickly.

“The problem with these fires is that because of all the tinder in the forest, they become infernos before you can get any response to them. And with an air cover, you can do that,” he said.

If he is elected in the recall, Cox would be a Republican facing a Democratic supermajority in the Legislature. On Friday, he told the editorial boards that he has the best intentions of working with lawmakers, but will take action if they refuse to work with him.

He said he would pick out “eight or 10 districts” that would be the most fruitful for Republicans, and recruit challengers.

“I’m going to recruit people who will be who hopefully will see as I do, that there are common-sense solutions to each one of these problems,” he said.

According to a recent Berkeley IGS/L.A. Times poll, 47% of likely voters would remove the governor, compared to 50% who would keep him.

Among the 46 potential replacements, conservative radio talk show host Larry Elder has the most support from voters, with 18% backing him as a first choice. Cox, meanwhile, is tied with former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer for 10% of the votes. Forty percent of likely voters are undecided, the poll said.

Cox said name recognition has given Elder “a good burst” only a few weeks into his campaign. Cox, meanwhile, has been touring the state for months, sometimes with a live bear.

“We’ve tried media personalities in the past,” Cox said when asked if Elder would make a good governor. “Mr. (Arnold) Schwarzenegger in particular, and that didn’t seem to work.”

This story was originally published August 1, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Is Trump a liar? California recall candidate says ‘I’m not going to go there’."