Screenshot via CNN
- Caitlyn Jenner defended her credentials in a CNN interview, pointing to her “entrepreneurial” past.
- The reality star said she was prepared to manage the state of California as she knew how to run a business.
- Jenner added that she met with “budget people” who gave her good advice – but did not name them.
- See more stories on Insider’s business page.
Caitlyn Jenner, who is running for governor in California, defended her credentials in a one-on-one interview with CNN on Monday.
When asked what made her qualified to be the governor of a state like California – which, if it were a sovereign nation, would be the fifth-largest economy in the world – Jenner pointed to her past as an “entrepreneur.”
“I have been in the entrepreneurial world. People think – you’ve been in show business, think of you as a reality star. Certainly, I’ve done that, but entertainment is a business, and you have to run that business,” Jenner told CNN host Dana Bash in a televised interview on Monday night.
Jenner was responding to a question from Bash, who asked what training she had received that qualified her to be governor.
“But I’ve also done other things. We sold a billion dollars worth of exercise equipment on television. I’ve had aviation companies. I’ve just always been involved in being an entrepreneur and tried to inspire my children to do the same thing. And they’ve done very well in that department,” Jenner said.
She was referring to the success of the Kardashian-Jenner brood. This includes her step-daughter, recently-minted billionaire Kim Kardashian West, and her daughter Kylie, who was dropped from the Forbes billionaires list but remains a multi-millionaire.
Jenner said her experience in the business industry helped her develop valuable leadership skills, and added that she had met with “budget people” who could give her advice.
“I’m going to surround myself with some really great people,” Jenner said, declining to name anyone as she did not want to “expose anybody.”
In the same interview, Jenner said as well that she was for “legal immigration” and that the growing swell of migrants at the border was one of the reasons why she decided to run for governor.
In April, Jenner threw her hat into the race for governor of California in its recall election, but it hasn’t been a smooth ride. Early on, Jenner was lambasted after it was revealed that she had only infrequently voted in past elections.
She also elicited criticism during an appearance on Sean Hannity’s Fox show after she complained at length that people – including the man who owned a plane in the airport hangar next to her own – were fleeing California because of the “homeless.”
Jenner, who came out as a transgender woman in June 2015, drew disapproval when she told TMZ that trans girls should not play in girls’ school sports teams.
“I oppose biological boys who are trans competing in girls’ sports in school. It just isn’t fair. And we have to protect girls’ sports in our schools,” Jenner said to TMZ on May 2.
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