Celebrity fitness expert Jillian Michaels believes California will shift toward the Republican party in the wake of lefty Gov. Gavin Newsom’s handling of the Los Angeles wildfires.
Michaels, best known for her stint as a trainer on “The Biggest Loser” in the 2010s, previously lived in California before “fleeing” to Florida in 2021 after growing tired of the Golden State’s leadership.
She attributed her changed politics from a lifelong “deep-blue” Californian to Donald Trump supporter to the 2018 Malibu fire — which destroyed her home — and Newsom’s response to that inferno.
“It affected my life, and it changed me. And I think you’re going to see that when it touches you, it changes you. And for California, that’s a good thing, because it is in desperate need of reform,” Michaels told NewsNation’s “On Balance with Leland Vittert.”
She blamed Newsom for the devastation left by the still-raging fires devouring parts of Los Angeles — saying it was preventable.
“The reality is that while you’re seeing $20 million mansions flattened, there are 1000s of people who are going to be financially devastated by this,” Michaels told Vittert. “And that’s what’s deeply upsetting, is so much of this could have been mitigated.”
Like many other states across the country, California recorded an eye-popping political shift in the 2024 Presidential Election. Demonstratively, men in every racial category leaned further right this year, with new voters in particular bringing in a slew of votes for the GOP.
“You saw that the state gained far more red voters in this previous election. I think there’s going to be a change for sure in the next run for governor,” Michaels said.
Newsom, who is widely viewed as a likely contender for the 2028 presidential race, finishes up his gubernatorial term in 2026 and is not eligible to run again.
Michaels specifically criticized the state’s inconsistent policies, including Proposition One in 2014 which saw $2.7 billion be set aside for “statewide water system operational improvement and drought preparedness,” according to the California Natural Resources Agency. Part of this was supposed to include the construction of new reservoirs, but Michaels complained that none have been built in the last 11 years.
Another bill, AB2330, passed during the 2023-2024 regular session following extensive revisions over four months. The bill would’ve strengthened wildfire preparedness measures by permitting all agencies to submit plans and be actively involved in the process. It was vetoed by Newsom in September.
“While I hate to make this an issue of red versus blue, I tend to look at this as if California was a company, right? It’s one of the largest economies in the world. You’ve got a bad operator, period. It doesn’t matter what party he belongs to,” Michaels said.
