California gubernatorial hopeful Katie Porter tries to storm out of CBS interview after meltdown over Trump question

California gubernatorial hopeful Katie Porter snapped and tried to storm out of an interview after being asked a simple question about President Trump — with the Democrat raging “I don’t want this all on camera.”

The irritated former Golden State congresswoman — who once allegedly dumped steaming mashed potatoes on her then-hubby’s head — was recorded trying to pull the plug on the sit-down with California-based CBS News correspondent Julie Watts recorded last month.

Footage of the bizarre encounter, which aired on Monday and quickly went viral, captured Porter flipping out when Watts asked how she planned to win Republican votes as she tries to replace term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.

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“What do you say to the 40% of California voters, who you’ll need in order to win, who voted for Trump?” asked Watts.

After a brief back-and-forth during which a testy Porter insisted she could build support and would seek every vote possible, the Democrat’s facade suddenly cracked.

“I feel like this is unnecessarily argumentative. What is your question?” Porter snapped at Watts.

“Every other candidate has answered this question,” Watts insisted. “This is not argumentative.”

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When Watts repeated her question, Porter began trying to take off her microphone.

“I don’t want to keep doing this. I’m going to call it,”she said.

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“I want to have a pleasant, positive conversation … And if every question, you’re going to make up a follow-up question, then we’re never going to get there.”

“I don’t want this all on camera,” Porter later added before claiming “I’ve never had to do this before” — a claim some critics took as evidence she has never undergone an adversarial interview. 

Since this 3min excerpt of 30min segment went viral, we decided to post it ourselves. But I’d encourage you to watch the full segment. @CBSSacramento

Watts posted the mid-decade redistricting plan.

Porter’s campaign said the interview — which was recorded last month — continued for an additional 20 minutes.

The 51-year-old has developed a reputation for having a bad temper when she doesn’t get her way.

In 2022, Porter was accused by a former congressional aide of bullying after the lawmaker allegedly claimed the staffer exposed her to COVID-19 by working in-person during the pandemic.

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A year earlier, Porter ripped the Irvine, Calif. Police Department as a “disgrace” in a text message to the city’s mayor after officers arrested her then-boyfriend, Julian Willis, for allegedly punching a protester at a town hall.

Her ex-husband, Matthew Hoffman, alleged in their 2013 divorce proceedings that she frequently abused him verbally and threw “toys, books and other objects” at him during their marriage — even once pouring scalding-hot mashed potatoes on his head during a fight.

And following her unsuccessful 2024 Senate bid, Porter drew a rebuke from her victorious colleague, Adam Schiff, after she claimed she faced “an onslaught of billionaires spending millions to rig this election.”

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Prior to the Watts interview, Porter had been the clear frontrunner in the California gubernatorial race, with a 7-point lead over her rivals in the open primary, according to the latest RealClearPolitics aggregate. 

“This is a pattern for [Katie Porter]. No candidate for Governor should hide from the press or mistreat them — we owe it to the public to be transparent,” jabbed. “If she can’t answer basic questions from a reporter, how can Californians expect her to stand up to President Trump?”

Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said, “We need a leader who will solve hard problems and answer simple questions.”

“I’m not interested in excluding any vote,” former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra chided. “Every Californian deserves affordable health care, safe streets, a roof over their head and a living wage.”