What Do Leading San Diego Republicans Think of Trump’s Acts? Most Won’t Say

Ken Martin, newly elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee, denounced the new Trump administration as “what happens when amateur hour meets demolition derby.”

San Diego’s congressional Democrats use stronger terms.

“Chaotic,” said Rep. Sara Jacobs. “Clear disaster,” said Rep. Scott Peters. Rep. Mike Levin decried a budding “oligarchy” while Rep. Juan Vargas denounced Trump for creating “terror in our communities.”

So what word describes local GOP reactions?

“Crickets” mostly.

On Jan. 23, Times of San Diego separately emailed every member of the San Diego County Republican Central Committee — 52 people, including Assembly members Carl DeMaio and Laurie Davies, state Sen. Brian Jones, county Supervisor Joel Anderson and Rep. Darrell Issa.

Other leading Republicans contacted were Supervisor Jim Desmond, Chula Vista Mayor John McCann, former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and major GOP donors Tom Sudberry, Laura Nelson and David Malcolm. None got back to me.

The neutrally worded survey sought opinions on the president’s actions in his first 100 hours, including whether they liked or disliked his freeing 1,500 people jailed in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, declaring an end to birthright citizenship and withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization and the Paris climate accords.

Only two of 60 people responded by Friday, Jan. 31. (Their mostly private email addresses were derived from one mass note a Republican sent Dec. 9.)

On Saturday, I discovered that the county GOP’s website no longer lists members of its Central Committee — the link yields a “404 Page not found” message.

The lone GOP Central Committee member taking part was Lakeside egg rancher Frank Hilliker — in a 5-minute phone interview. The only complete email response came from Dan Summers of Ramona (see below).

Hilliker apologized for not returning my survey, citing his age (56) and saying: “I much prefer talking to emailing.”

Central Committee member Amy Reichert told me via email: “I just honestly don’t have an opinion on everything Trump says the minute he announces it and need time to research it.”

Journalists are used to nonresponsive sources. But my survey, citing nine Trump actions, ran only 220 words.

Doug Porter, the longtime liberal lion of San Diego blogging and alternative newspapers, offered a common theory on the local GOP’s silence.

“The short answer is that they’re afraid. Today’s answer could be tomorrow’s MAGA target,” he said. “Or they’re waiting for somebody to tell them what to think about these issues. Or, worse, if they have any hope of getting moderate votes, they’ll sound extremist.”

He pointed to the “tight lips” of Capitol Hill Republicans, who he said are “freaked out about the spending freeze” announced and then rescinded.

“The only voice that counts right now is Dear Leader,” Porter said, “and I see Democratic acquiescence as cowardice in the face of his royal Trumpiest.”

Veteran political observer Carl Luna told me that Republican office holders in general look at such survey requests askance, “particularly coming from a mainstream media source.”

“Of course, from a more impish journalistic perspective, the story could then become ‘Republican officials in San Diego refused to publicly endorse the president’s platform,'” said Luna, who has taught political science at San Diego Mesa College and the University of San Diego.

“One would think if they were really dedicated to the cause, they’d be willing to say so in any venue in clear and uncertain terms. So I guess the question is: Are they just not responding to media or are they hedging their bets to see how the president’s agenda plays out heading to 2026? Only time will tell.”

Hilliker, the egg rancher who also serves as vice chair of the San Diego County Water Authority, said he couldn’t answer my question on the Jan. 6 pardons and commutations because he was uncertain whether they were convicted for “just walking in or did they actually lay hands on somebody, hurt somebody?”

“You know what I mean?” he asked. “So I don’t know how to answer that unless I were to see each individual case to be fair.”

Hilliker was initially wary of Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship.

“Well, it’s in the Constitution, right?” he said. “So I don’t think he’s going to be able to do that.”

But calling himself “pretty conservative,” he added: “I don’t like the fact of anchor babies. You know, maybe it’s past its time.”

Only days ahead of Trump imposing 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, Hilliker said he agreed with that threat.

His own business wouldn’t be affected by tariffs, he said, noting: “Everything here is domestic. Everything I do is within San Diego…. I get my chickenfeed (locally), all grown by American farmers.”

Did he agree with Trump pulling the United States out of the World Health Organization?

“I agree,” he said in the brief phone chat. “I think they’re a crock of shit.”

He also agreed with the United States being pulled out of the Paris climate accords.

On renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, he said Mexico is part of the Americas, and the “Gulf of America goes down to South America. It’s all America.”

But he said if Mt. McKinley had originally been called Mt. Denali — and not changed by President Obama to reflect its native origins — he’d have left it alone.

“If it was Denali and they changed it to Mt. McKinley, then I’d be in favor of going back to Denali,” he said.

Hilliker agreed with Trump’s promise of taking possession of the Panama Canal and Greenland.

“Yes, for sure,” he said. “National security, baby.”

Dan Summers, leader of the American Liberty Forum of Ramona, also is a member of the Ramona Unified School District Board of Education and former member of the Ramona Community Planning Group.

He agrees with all of Trump’s early orders and plans. His survey responses:

1. The pardoning or commuting the sentences of the January 6th defendants is full of interesting and mitigating circumstances. First, President Trump requested from the podium that any protest be peaceful. Those were his actual words, yet the left insisted that he incited the riot?

Second, President Trump offered 10,000 troops to protect the Capitol just in case the protestors ignored his request to be peaceful. The sergeant-at-arms of the Capitol also requested additional support.

So what happened to those requests? Nancy Pelosi has admitted on tape that she denied the requests as did the mayor of Washington, D.C., in writing. So it was the decision of Democrats that made the Capitol vulnerable, not President Trump.

Third, It has been revealed that FBI agents were embedded in the crowd and encouraged protestors to enter the Capitol.

Fourth, I’ve seen multiple videos of Capitol police welcoming protestors into the Capitol itself. So is it possible that Nancy Pelosi, the FBI and the mayor participated in creating a riot for political purposes? Maybe.

Fifth, many of the defendants have stated that they were given the choice of pleading guilty to misdemeanors, which they hadn’t committed, or be charged with felonies. So they plead guilty to the misdemeanors and were given bloated sentences far greater than their misdemeanors deserved.

Sixth, these defendants have already been in jail for nearly five years. President Trump believes they have paid whatever debt they owed. The whole thing is just another example of lawfare.

It is interesting that you didn’t ask about Biden’s pardons. After claiming for years that his family had done no wrong, Biden issued pardons that covered his family beginning from the dates of their involvement in the Biden family shakedown of international oligarchs — and, of course, Hunter?

2. The only nation on earth that grants birthright citizenship is America. There is actually an international industry that was developed many years ago to take advantage of America’s stupidity.

There will be testimony before the Supreme Court, when this issue arrives there, outlining how eight-months’ pregnant women, from all over the world, pay thousands of dollars to facilitators who arrange transportation and medical care so these women can give birth in America. Those babies are called “anchor” babies and allow their parents to legally immigrate. If common sense prevails, the Supreme Court will end this.

3. The World Health Organization has become politicized. It charges Communist China $39 million for membership. It charges America $350 million for the same membership. The WHO joined with Dr. Fauci and the Communist Chinese government to cover up the source of the COVID pandemic.

4. The Paris Climate Accords is much like the WHO. America pays the highest membership while Communist countries like China and Russia who are the biggest polluters pay little or nothing. I strongly support the withdrawal from the WHO and the Paris Climate Accord.

5. If you add up the mileage, the gulf has more American mileage that Mexican mileage. The change makes sense. Mt. McKinley was named after an American president. President Obama changed the name during his assault on the American culture known as the “culture wars.” The culture wars are thankfully over, and President Trump is ending them.

6. (Regarding the nomination of Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense, Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, Kash Patel to lead the FBI and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to helm U.S. health agencies.) All four of these nominees have something in common — they are capable patriots. Biden’s Cabinet was full of DEI idiots like the guy who stole luggage at the airport or the he/she who wore a military uniform that he/she hadn’t earned.

7. (Regarding Trump seeking an apology from Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde for her calling on him to show mercy to “scared” immigrants and LGBTQ people.) Bishop Budde is no more a cleric than you, Ken. She has a history of political activism that revealed itself as she appeared on multiple fake news networks. No apology necessary. Trump should consider the source.

8. (Regarding Trump’s plans to levy substantial tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada and China, among others.) Ken, have you ever read Trump’s book, “The Art of The Deal”? You need to, and then you’ll recognize a negotiation style.

9. (Regarding Trump wanting to take possession of the Panama Canal and Greenland through unspecified means.) America built the Panama Canal. It cost billions of dollars and hundreds of American lives. The appeasing, capitulating Jimmy Carter “gave” the Panama Canal to Panama who, in turn, surrendered control to Communist China. Surprise, surprise, China rips off American vessels.

I expect Trump to regain control of the canal. Greenland has about 57,000 folks and the majority of them want an economic relationship with America. It represents a security threat from Russia and China. If the Greenlanders want a relationship with America, it would be wise to create one.