Trump Backs Hilton for California Governor as Affordability Crisis Drives Exodus

President Donald Trump threw his weight behind Republican Steve Hilton in California's gubernatorial race on Monday, inserting himself into a wide-open contest to lead the nation's most populous state. The endorsement comes as new research confirms what many Californians already know: the cost of living is so crushing that leaving the state has become the most viable path to homeownership for many residents.

A study released by UC Berkeley's California Policy Lab lays bare the economic reality driving California's ongoing population drain. Researchers tracked thousands of residents who left the state and found they moved to areas where housing costs an average of $700 less per month and home prices are nearly $400,000 cheaper than the neighborhoods they fled.

"The affordability crisis in the state does seem to be impacting where people move and perhaps even the choice to move," said California Policy Lab Executive Director Evan White. The data shows Californians who relocate are not just finding cheaper rent, they are achieving homeownership at rates that would be impossible if they stayed.

Seven years after leaving California, former residents were 11 percentage points, or 48%, more likely to own a home than those who remained in the state, even after controlling for age. By contrast, people who moved to California were only 6 percentage points, or 27%, more likely to become homeowners seven years after arriving.

The findings underscore a fundamental failure of California's housing policy. While the state has long positioned itself as a progressive leader on economic issues, its regulatory framework and zoning restrictions have created a housing market so expensive that working and middle-class families are effectively priced out of the American dream.

Trump's endorsement of Hilton signals the president sees California's dysfunction as a political opportunity. Hilton, a former Fox News host and tech entrepreneur, has positioned himself as an outsider who can fix the state's affordability crisis. Whether Trump's backing will resonate with California voters remains unclear, the state has consistently rejected Trump and his policies by wide margins.

The California Policy Lab study also reveals who is leaving. Researchers found that affordability pressures are not just theoretical, they are reshaping migration patterns in measurable ways. The $700 monthly savings on housing costs represents real money that families can redirect toward building wealth, saving for retirement, or investing in their children's education.

Meanwhile, California is once again suing the Trump administration, this time over an executive order that gives the US Postal Service new powers to oversee voting by mail. The lawsuit argues the order represents federal overreach into state election administration and could suppress voter turnout.

The convergence of California's affordability crisis and Trump's political maneuvering sets up a stark choice for voters in the upcoming gubernatorial race. Will they embrace a Trump-backed candidate promising to slash regulations, or will they look for solutions that address housing costs without dismantling environmental protections and worker rights?

For now, the data is clear: California's housing market is not just expensive, it is driving away the very people the state claims to champion. And as those residents find prosperity elsewhere, the question becomes whether California's political class will finally confront the regulatory barriers that have made homeownership a luxury reserved for the wealthy.