About this episode

The episode discusses Steve Hilton's campaign for California governor, backed by Trump, and his political journey from the UK to the US.

A British immigrant backed by President Trump is running to be the next governor of California. Once a senior advisor to former prime minister David Cameron, Steve Hilton has since been on a journey – swapping Downing Street for Silicon Valley. Having made his home in the US, Hilton is now running to become California’s Republican governor on a platform of cutting taxes and regulation. We speak to Nicholas Watt, political editor of BBC Newsnight, who has known Hilton since his days advising Cameron. Producers: Viv Jones and Aron Keller Mix: Travis Evans Video producer: Matt Pintus Executive producer: James Shield Senior news editor: China Collins Photo: California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton. Credit: Reuters /Mike Blake Audio for this episode was updated on 9th June 2026 to clarify Steve Hilton's views on Brexit.

People in this episode

Host: Nicholas Watt

Guest: Steve Hilton

Topics covered

• California politics
• Trump endorsement
• British immigrant
• Republican governor race
• tax cuts
• regulation

Keywords

• Steve Hilton
• California governor
• Trump endorsement
• David Cameron
• Republican
• tax cuts
• regulation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BBC Newsnight, BBC World Service

Places: California, United States

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