Democratic Rep. Katie Porter stirred up the Internet’s wrath during her appearance on FOX 11's The ISSUE IS segment, hosted by Elex Michaelson. During the interview, Porter, representing the 47th Congressional District in Orange County, California, recalled an incident involving her 12-year-old daughter after Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election on November 5, 2024.
Porter recalled picking up her “crying” daughter from water polo practice on election night. Porter, who was concerned about her daughter, supposedly inquired the reason behind her tears, to which her child allegedly responded:
“‘Mom, Trump won. Trump's gonna win. And what if I get r*ped and I need to have an abortion?.’ Porter added, "This is from my 12-year-old daughter. So it’s really a reminder of how scary this time is for people and how important it is for Democrats to have strategy both at the state level and federal level. To make sure that we can continue to protect people's rights."
The remark triggered widespread outrage online, with several social media users accusing Porter of using her child for political clout.
“Using kids for political drama is a new law,” A netizen wrote.
Another user added:
“Stop brainwashing children.”
A third person expressed concern for the 12-year-old’s emotional and mental wellbeing.
“It's not normal for 12-year-old little girls to know about abortions. When I was 12 years old I just wanted to know if I could go roller skating at the roller rink,” the social media user wrote.
Several users accused Katie Porter of fabricating the story to propagate political agenda. A person wrote:
“She’s is a liar her daughter never said that.”
Porter is a mom to three children, Luke, 18, Paul, 15, and Betsy, 12.
Katie Porter was accused of abuse by former staffer and ex-husband
The incident comes months after Katie Porter apologized for alleging billionaires tried to "rig" the California Senate primary after she failed to win the seat. In March 2024, in a post on X, Porter, who came third in the state's non-partisan "jungle primary," losing to Democrat Adam Schiff, wrote:
“Because of you, we had the establishment running scared — withstanding 3 to 1 in TV spending and an onslaught of billionaires spending millions to rig this election.”
Shortly after, during an interview on the Pod Saves America podcast, she regretted using the word “rig.” She said:
"I wish I had chosen a different word because what happened with the controversy was it took away from two really important truths.”
This is not the first time Katie Porter has been embroiled in controversy. In 2022, Sasha Georgiades, a Navy veteran and former Wounded Warrior fellow for Porter, accused the congresswoman of using racist slurs when talking to staff.
The accusation came from a leaked text messages scandal that showed her berating Georgiades for catching coronavirus. Georgiades alleged Katie Porter had a history of abusing her staff and had also reduced some of them to tears via Fox News. Georgiades added:
"At one point we had an office hike and she left her kids with the staffers in the back while she walked off with the chief of staff," she continued. "There is no regard to us or feelings or even what we are going through.”
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Porter denied the accusation. Last year, the New York Post, citing divorce records, reported the former husband of Porter accused the California Democrat of frequently abusing him verbally during their marriage. The post alleged that during a fight, Katie Porter poured scalding-hot mashed potatoes on his head.
Matthew Hoffman also filed for a restraining order while filing for divorce in 2013. Hoffman also accused Porter of alienating his kids from him. Katie Porter denied the allegations.
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