Caitlyn Jenner touches on trans issues, immigration in first interview since announcing run for governor

The gubernatorial candidate, who is a trans woman, has recently said trans girls shouldn’t be allowed to play in women’s sports

Caitlyn Jenner is running to replace California governor Gavin Newsom (Getty Images)

Caitlyn Jenner, the transgender former Olympian and Kardashian family reality TV star running for governor of California, told Fox News’s Sean Hannity on Wednesday that trans kids need good “role models” but shouldn’t be allowed to play in sports leagues matching their true gender.

"For me as a trans woman, I think role models are extremely important for young people," Ms Jenner said on Fox News in her first televised interview since announcing she would take on Democratic governor Gavin Newsom in a recall election. "Trans issues, people struggle with big time. Our suicide rate is nine times higher than the general public. And for me to be a role model, for them, to be out there, I am running for governor of the state of California, who would ever thunk that? We’ve never even had a woman governor.”

During the interview, she reiterated her position that trans girls shouldn’t be allowed to play women’s sports, and brushed off additional questions from Hannity on the subject, saying there are “more problems in the state of California than that.”

She also touched on immigration issues, telling Hannity she would do her “absolute best” to end California’s status as a sanctuary state that avoids working directly with federal immigration agents, though she said the US immigration system needs to “modernise” and allow more people to come to the state legally.

“I am all for the wall,” she added, in reference to former president Donald Trump’s ambition to build a wall across the US-Mexico border. “We can’t have a state, we can’t have a country, without a secure wall.”

Last month, the California secretary of state confirmed the petition to recall governor Gavin Newsom has verified enough signatures to force a vote.

Organisers had collected 1.6 million verified signatures, surpassing the 1.5 million threshold needed by about 100,000.

As part of the recall, this fall California voters will be asked first whether Mr Newsom should be recalled, and if more than half say yes then their votes on who should replace him will decide the next governor.

Speaking with Mr Hannity, Ms Jenner accused the current governor of bungling the state’s Covid response and said she would “absolutely” lift all Covid restrictions as soon as possible.