CNN’s Sara Sidner just handed the 2A community a golden gift on CNN News Central, lamenting that California gubernatorial candidates are constantly bring[ing] up Trump, instead of recognizing and trying to find solutions to the problems specific to California, which happened under Democrats. It’s a rare moment of candor from the network—admitting that the Golden State’s dumpster fire of issues, from sky-high homelessness and crime rates to a $68 billion budget deficit, are homegrown Democratic disasters. Sidner nails it: instead of owning the mess they’ve made, candidates like Katie Porter and Tony Thurmond are pivoting to Trump-bashing as a deflection tactic. This isn’t leadership; it’s a classic blame-shift playbook, dodging accountability for policies that turned paradise into a cautionary tale.
For gun owners and the 2A community, this is pure vindication. California’s problems Sidner alludes to include the state’s draconian gun control regime—assault weapon bans, magazine limits, red flag laws, and a bloated roster of may-issue permitting that’s left law-abiding citizens defenseless amid surging violent crime. Under Democratic supermajorities, homicides spiked 42% from 2019-2022, yet they’ve doubled down on disarming the good guys while criminals ignore every law. Candidates ignoring these roots to demonize Trump? It’s a tacit admission that their gun-grabbing utopia has failed spectacularly, fueling the very insecurity that makes self-defense rights non-negotiable. This CNN slip-up exposes the hypocrisy: Dems won’t find solutions because real fixes threaten their anti-2A power grab.
The implications for 2026’s governor race are electric—2A advocates should amplify this clip far and wide, forcing candidates to confront California’s self-inflicted wounds. If they keep hiding behind Trump, it hands pro-gun challengers like Steve Hilton or Chad Bianco a massive edge, potentially flipping the script on one of the most hostile states to the Second Amendment. Sidner’s frustration is our rallying cry: time for real solutions, starting with restoring Californians’ right to keep and bear arms against the chaos Democrats created.
