House Speaker Mike Johnson Backtracks on Claims of California's 'Rigged' Primaries

Since it was announced last week that Democratic nominee Xavier Becerra was leading in the California gubernatorial primary, Donald Trump has been claiming, without evidence, that the elections were rigged.

Besides posting on Truth Social, Trump has also spoken, without evidence, about the California primaries being stolen by Democrats during interviews. Given how often Trump has claimed the California primaries are rigged, journalists are also asking others, including Republicans, to weigh in. House Speaker Mike Johnson is among those who have spoken on the issue after being questioned. In a video that is going viral on X (formerly Twitter), Johnson, when asked whether he thinks the California elections are rigged and if he has proof, tells a CNN reporter that he does not think it's rigged per se, but that something is wrong 'instinctively' despite there being no concrete proof.

Johnson further criticized California's vote-counting process during the primaries, saying votes should be counted on election day. He added that several states in the U.S. deliver same-day results and that it shouldn't be difficult for California to do the same.

Donald Trump was among the first to claim last week that the California gubernatorial primaries were rigged after Democratic nominee Xavier Becerra was leading. Taking to Truth Social, he wrote on June 4, 2026, 'The Dumocrats are at it again! They are trying to STEAL THE GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA PRIMARY AND THE MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES PRIMARY, AWAY FROM TWO GREAT REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES. Here we go with the very late and massive numbers of MAIL-IN BALLOTS.'

He then doubled down on his views during an interview on NBC's 'Meet the Press' that aired on June 7, 2026. He repeatedly claimed that the California gubernatorial primaries were rigged, prompting the interviewer to state that there was no evidence to support the same. Trump became agitated by such comments, leading to a tense exchange with the interviewer that ultimately ended with him walking out.

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Sanchari Ghosh is a political writer for The Mary Sue who enjoys keeping up with what's going on in the world and sometimes reminding everyone what they should be talking about. She's been around for a few years, but still gets excited whenever she disentangles a complicated story. When she's not writing, she's likely sleeping, eating, daydreaming, or just hanging out with friends. Politics is her passion, but so is an amazing nap.

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