Caitlyn Jenner

Media Availability

Outside Beverly Hills City Hall

September 14, 2021

[DEMOCRACY IN ACTION Transcript]

...whether you're for the recall, not for the recall, voting is probably the most important thing that you can do, especially in today's society. It's the only way we can control what's going on. So I encourage everybody to get out vote. The polls are open till eight o'clock tonight. I'm glad did it this morning. Actually it was a lot of fun.

QUESTION:  Ms. Jenner, I'm curious if you have seen any evidence of fraud in this election? And if I may ask you to comment on the stopcafraud.com website, supported by the Elder campaign, which says it has found fraud and that Governor Newsom has already been reinstated.

JENNER:  You know what bothers me about that question, is you actually even have to ask that question. This is America; we're a free country. The reason we're a free country is because we have the right to vote for our leaders. Our voting system in these United States, we, as all citizens have to have confidence in our voting system, okay. We have to have integrity in our voting system.

This is California. I mean this is where technology was invented. I mean we can figure out—we have to make voting easy and impossible to cheat. To be honest with you, in the future I don't even want to hear questions like that. And I know once this is over with, once today is over with it's probably going to take weeks to actually find out what the final results are going to be.

And I want to feel as a candidate and somebody who's worked so hard for the last four and a half months, almost five months, on this campaign that it is done right and it's done with integrity and it's done fairly.

So that's how I feel on voter integrity, and we have to get it right. As Governor, that would be one of the number one issues is voter integrity. We cannot have questions like that anymore. I don't want to feel as a voter that, "Oh, it's not worth voting because it's all a fraud." We can't have that; this is California, this is America.

QUESTION:  But Elder [crosstalk] saying it already is seen fraud.—the Elder campaign making that accusation.

JENNER:  You know I respect Larry for getting into this race. He's far right. I'm more of what I consider a moderate Republican. I'm a Republican as a conservative economic values, and I believe in less taxes, less regulations, a pro-business environment. But I'm a moderate on social issues, and I'm much more inclusive to all people.

Larry's gonna be talking. Actually I'm when I was driving over here today I was thinking, I'm just so curious what's going to happen in this election.

I hope, for the citizens' sake, that it is fair, with integrity, and the right person wins at the end. We have to have that in this state. We have to have it.

QUESTION:  But do you think it's okay to be —

JENNER:  I just wonder, for the next couple of weeks, because I think it's going to be a couple of weeks, or is it going to go into court or what's going to happen? We can't have that. We need to integrity in our voting system.

QUESTION:  But before they start counting votes, Elder has already started to sow distrust in the results. Do you think that's a good thing or a bad thing? Do you think that's appropriate.?

JENNER: That's, Larry Elder is running his campaign the way Larry Elder is running his campaign— I believe in the system, I believe, in the state of California. I believe in our electoral system. If I do see in the future, I will work even if, if I don't get in. I will work as a private citizen; I think that's extremely important that our citizens of this state get together and make sure that there's integrity, Integrity, in our voting laws. So, yeah, that would be something I would do no matter what happens today.

QUESTION:  What do you think the biggest issues are that Californians are facing while they're coming out to vote today?

JENNER:  You know I started this campaign and the first thing I said I want to restore hope in California. Gavin Newsom has destroyed hope.. And I want to bring hope back. I love this state.. I've been here for 48 years. I won the games here; I raised my families here. I love the state. To see what's happened over the last 20-30 years— And it's just, you know, this used to be the Golden State. It's not that way anymore.

And so, the most important things, one, voter integrity is extremely important. Two, you've got to focus on the economy. We have 18,000 companies leave the state in the last few years, and they're leaving by the droves,

To be honest with you, if Gavin Newsom gets back in and he stays, I personally feel that's kind of the end of the state. He will be emboldened. He will continue to push for more regulations.

We are the most—we are the highest taxed state in the nation, we are the highest regulated state of the nation. We are the worst place—we got the 50, we were 49th, now we got the 50—as the worst place in the, the worst state in the United States to do business.1 That is horrible. That should not be there.

My focus would be on the economy first. We have to develop a tax system in this state that is competitive with other states. We cannot continue to lose businesses, other places, to other states, lower taxes, more friendly business environment. We cannot continue to, if we go down that road we're dead. A number one and that concerns regulations; we're the most regulated state. We have to get regulations under control.

And to be honest with you, we have to get honesty back in Sacramento. If I have learned anything over the last four months. It has been quite a ride. You know, I'm an outsider, which is good. We need outsiders to come in, we need private citizens to come in and run for public office, and we have more private citizens running for public office in the United States than ever before in history. That is a good thing. We need to bring our values back.

But if I've looked into this state over the last few years, I see the hypocrisy. The EDD: $20 billion of fraudulent claims, and it's like nobody's doing anything about it, you know.

Gavin Newsom has spent in the last couple of years while he's been office, $13 billion on the homeless issue, but it's only gotten worse.

I want the taxpayers to get a fair, a good return on their investment in this state. And right now they are not getting a good return on their investment. So, you have to focus on those types of things. He's just, if he stays in, it would be horrible for the state. I kind of consider that the end of the state.

QUESTION:  The fact that the electorate seems more predisposed to Larry Elder than a more moderate Republican, what does that tell you about the polarization of the state? And if I can add a second question, will we see you again in a campaign?

JENNER:  First question, Larry Elder. Again, I respect him getting into this race. Larry Elder is we know him as a far right Republican, very conservative. We've heard him on the radio in this, especially in this city. for years and years. I've listened to him, I've been on the show, I've done speaking engagements with him. I somewhat know Larry Elder, but honestly, in some ways, if you look at the way the Democrats have approached this, Larry Elder is kind of a gift to the Democrats and it just keeps giving.

Look at the way all their ad campaigns are. Not about their failures, but it's about, oh, the Republican recall. This is not a Republican recall. On the recall, on the signing of the recall, they needed 1.5 million votes [ed. signatures]. They stopped counting I think really when they had I think 1.7. 30% of those were Democrats, if the Democrats had not voted [ed. signed] then Gavin Newsom would stay in, the recall would not be here. So, and they've used Larry Elder. I mean you see it. Barack Obama's been here. All, all the left wing liberals have just been firing and scaring all the Democrats for the last month about Larry, That he's far right wing and he's gonna ruin the state and on and on and on. And I think that's helped. Gavin Newsom, and probably hurt Larry Elder.

I am so curious to see the way this is going to come out. I don't know. I'm hoping for the best. But the number one thing I want to see is a yes vote on Gavin Newsom on the recall. We can figure that out. Whoever winds up getting it after that, obviously, my name is on the ballot; I'm very proud of that; I've worked very hard for that.

I'm a moderate Republican. I'm different than Larry, and we'll see how it works out. But I will continue to stay as you say— Will, I run in, you asked the question if I would run in a year from now? First thing I'm going to do is I'm going to do the best job I can do in this last couple of days of this campaign; I want to do the best I possibly can. Then I'm gonna kind of sit back, evaluate where I'm at, where the campaign was at, how we wound up doing, and make that decision at that point.

One thing I have enjoyed. I have had so much fun. I met some of the most interesting people in this campaign. It's been a wonderful experience for me. I've always tried to help people; I've always been a very compassionate person when it comes to helping people. Everybody's got challenges. Obviously, I've had challenges in my life, you know.

I've seen both sides. I've seen some places where you know  I get so disappointed in humanity. When I see what's happening in Sacramento, and how to Gavin Newsoms of the world could care less about the people of the state of California. All he cares about is special interests and stuff.

But then on the other side. I go to Venice Beach, and I spent a day down there with a lot of the residents and the people, the hardworking people ofVenice Beach trying to get the beach cleaned u, trying to get the homeless issue taken care of. Wonderful people. I've been to the border, and talked to the border control. These are great Americans that are really doing a tough, tough job. Actually, the first thing they said to me is thanks for coming because Gavin Newsom has never been to the southern border. And I'm going, are you kidding me? He's the Governor of the state; he's never been to the southern border. This is ridiculous.

But I really have enjoyed this campaign. I've enjoyed meeting the people. I've gotten a lot of love, you know, and for me that's really important.

So, you know we're wrapping it up now. We'll see what happens, evaluate where we're at., but I always will stay involved with things. I really— I met with the sheriff's department, Alex Villanueva, and his HOST program in Venice. In the future, no matter what, I want to help them continue bringing light to what they're doing with the homeless issue. There's so many issues in the state that need a lot of help, whether you're governor or not governor. So I will continue the fight. Yeah, it's been quite a great experience.

REPORTER:  Is it rigged?

JENNER:  We'll find out. Thank you guys.