Xavier Becerra Questions KTLA Reporter on 'Gotcha' Interview Before California Governor Debate

Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra drew criticism after a tense exchange with KTLA reporter Annie Rose Ramos at the start of a television interview. Becerra, a Democratic candidate for California governor, asked Ramos whether the segment would be a "gotcha piece."

"By the way, this is a profile piece, this is not a gotcha piece, right?" Becerra said before the interview formally began.

Ramos replied that her questions aimed to help voters learn more about him as a candidate. Becerra responded, "The way I describe profile is you talk about all the things that I’ve done, things I want to do, and along with some tough questions. But not only tough questions."

The clip quickly sparked backlash online from conservative commentators and Republican activists, who called Becerra defensive and combative.

Jennifer Van Laar, managing editor of RedState, praised KTLA for posting the full exchange. "Wow.... the STATION posted this. And good for them," she said on X. "There’s a microexpression on his face a few seconds before the end of this clip where you can see his anger briefly, which he quickly replaces with a smile."

Van Laar added, "Trying to come across as jovial, kind Becerra... but that ain’t who he is."

Democratic strategist Michael Trujillo criticized the exchange as dismissive toward a younger female reporter. "I’ve seen this a lot in my community," he said on X. "A man telling a younger woman how to do her job."

Conservative radio host Dana Loesch referenced prior reporting on migrant children. "It’s insane that the NYT story alone first didn’t end his political career," she said on X. "This is all just so, so bad."

Conservative commentator Kevin Dalton said on X, "KTLA just ended Xavier Becerra."

Tensions peaked when Ramos raised a New York Times investigation into migrant children released to sponsors by federal authorities under Becerra's HHS tenure. She cited findings that the department could not account for tens of thousands of children.

"That’s not accurate," Becerra said. "What you just read is not accurate."

He accused Ramos of using Republican messaging. "You’re essentially, I don’t know if you got those talking points from Donald Trump," Becerra said.

Ramos noted she was citing The New York Times. Becerra replied, "That’s not what the New York Times article said. The New York Times said that individuals, the children and their sponsors, did not respond to calls. They didn’t say we couldn’t find kids."

Ramos later said the interaction surprised her because it differed from interviews with other candidates. "Honestly, I was caught off guard because it was so dramatically different from any of the other candidates that we had approached and sat down with," she said. "This was one of our final interviews. As you saw, we’ve interviewed Sheriff Chad Bianco, Tom Steyer, and really, the only question I’ve gotten from anyone consistently is, ‘Is it Annie or Annie Rose?’"

Becerra campaign spokesman Jonathan Underland said, "unlike some candidates in the race, Becerra doesn’t walk away when the questions get difficult." He added, "Over decades in public service, he’s consistently shown up, answered tough questions and respected the role journalists play in holding public officials accountable."