Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to Orange County Line

    Orange County Line

    How Trump has affected Orange County

    Two years after he visited, how has the president changed OC's politics?

    • rss
    Download MP3
    • Share
    By Gustavo Arellano • Mar 13, 2018 • 4m Listen

    As Donald Trump visits California tomorrow, one place conspicuously absent from his announced schedule is Orange County. The then-presidential candidate visited Costa Mesa to a raucous crowd in April 2016, but ended up losing OC to Hillary Clinton--the first time a Democrat has taken the famously conservative county since FDR in 1936. The county's Republican politicians has largely shied away from Trump ever since save for Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, who now faces a challenger in former OC GOP chair Scott Baugh, who alleges Rohrabacher's close ties with Trump has put him out of touch with the needs of constituents. Meanwhile, recently released figures show that the GOP's share of OC's registered voters continue to fall. What, if anything, can Trump do to shore up the party base in OC?

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Gustavo Arellano

      columnist, LA Times

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Benjamin Gottlieb

      Reporter, Fill-in Host

      CultureOrange County
    Back to Orange County Line