Caitlyn Jenner slams Newsom on 'America's Newsroom': He has 'destroyed' California's economy

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Caitlyn Jenner blasts California Gov. Newsom: He has 'destroyed the economy'

California gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner points to California's high taxes and all the regulations on the businesses and citizens in the state.

California gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner told "America’s Newsroom" on Wednesday, in the show's first in-studio interview since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, that the economy is "by far" the "most important thing" the state must restore and said she would focus on reducing taxes and regulations. 

She stressed that she wants "to restore hope" in California and argued that Gov. Gavin Newsom has "absolutely destroyed hope" as companies and people have moved out of the state.

Jenner pointed to the fact that California lost a U.S. House seat for the first time in its 170-year history as its population growth has stalled. 

Census Bureau population data released in April revealed that California remains the most populous by far with nearly 39.58 million people, but its population is growing more slowly than other states and it will see its House delegation drop from 53 to 52.

Meantime, states like Texas and Florida, in which business-friendly policies and lower costs of living have fueled growth over the past decade, gained seats, with Texas adding two and Florida adding one.

Host Bill Hemmer pointed out some of the issues Jenner would face if elected governor including the high taxes and California’s homeless crisis. The state has the most unhoused people in the country; At one point in 2020, 160,000 people were recorded as experiencing homelessness.

That figure includes about half the country’s estimated 211,000 residents living unsheltered on the streets or in vehicles, the Associated Press reported last month.  

When Hemmer asked Jenner how she would "reverse those trends" she said, "You have to look at the economy." 

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"You have to look at what Gavin Newsom has done over the years," she continued. "He’s destroyed the economy through regulations, through taxation." 

Jenner pointed to the 13.3% tax rate and the high gas taxes, stressing that the state has "been taxed to death," which she said "has to stop." 

Jenner added that "the other thing that’s killing" the state is all the regulations. 

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"We have 21.2 million words of regulations on the businesses and the citizens of California. That has to stop," Jenner said. 

A Newsom spokesperson did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment. 

When asked by Host Dana Perino what she thinks would be the "right number in terms of the income tax in California" Jenner noted that as governor she would not be able to lower taxes herself given there is "a process," but said she would be in favor of that process. 

She went on to say that she doesn’t think California will ever get to the point "where you have a zero corporate tax rate like Florida or some of the other states," arguing that "that’s just not realistic" 

Jenner said that she believed that people "don’t mind paying something in taxes, but it has to be a fair tax." 

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"I would want a tax system that is competitive with other states and I think that’s the best way to go so we don’t lose all of these companies," she continued. "Right now nobody feels like it is fair and it’s not a good business environment." 

Jenner stressed that if elected, the first thing she would do is "put a stop to any talk about taxes" and "put an absolute stop to regulations."

California is the most regulated state in the country, The Center Square reported, citing an analysis of state regulations conducted by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, which noted that the 2019 California Code of Regulations (CCR) has 395,129 restrictions and 21.2 million words

Jenner recommended that the state should put together a review board to go through all the regulations to find out "what’s working and what’s not working." 

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She also proposed that if any new regulations are added, the state must remove three others that currently exist. 

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"I want to put a sunset clause in there," she added. "Every 10 years every regulation has to be reviewed. If they don’t review it, it’s gone so it doesn’t keep going forever and ever." 

Fox News’ Julia Musto and The Associated Press contributed to this report.