20/06/2026

Nick Robinson· Host0:00

Hello, and welcome to Political Thinking. My guest on Political Thinking this week has been on an extraordinary political journey. It's taken Steve Hilton from Downing Street, where he was Prime Minister David Cameron's key advisor, to California, where he has just become the Republican candidate in this November's election to be the next governor of the state. Hilton was credited with coming up with something called Compassionate Conservatism, which urged people, you might remember, to hug a hoodie, to vote blue, to go green, to embrace what he called the big society. But he's now endorsed by Donald Trump and Trump's MAGA movement, having made his name as a Fox News host who attacked the radical left and argued for what he called positive populism. [upbeat music] Steve Hilton, thank you for joining us from California.

Steve Hilton· Guest0:59

Thank you very much.

Nick Robinson· Host1:00

There will be people listening to you, watching you in the UK, there may be still some in the United States, in California as well, saying, "Hold on a second. This guy sounds like a Brit. He's got a cup of tea in front of him on his Zoom line. He's a Brit. He used to work in Downing Street. What on earth does he think he can be governor of the Golden State?"

Steve Hilton· Guest1:21

Well, 2.3 million or so people just voted for me, so there's, there must be something they're seeing. I think that on the Brit point, look, the beauty of