Xavier Becerra
Introduction
Xavier Becerra (born January 26, 1958) is an American attorney and politician serving as the 25th United States secretary of health and human services under President Joe Biden from 2021 to 2025, and now the Democratic nominee for governor of California. On September 29, 2026, with early voting underway in his race against Republican Steve Hilton, the New York Post published an interview in which he failed to name San Francisco’s mayor, and an exclusive in which former Biden administration colleagues accused him of privately mocking migrant children and of disengaged leadership at HHS.
Background Information
Becerra was born and raised in Sacramento and holds bachelor’s and law degrees from Stanford University. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives representing California, became state attorney general in 2017, and joined Biden’s cabinet in March 2021 as HHS secretary, a post he held through January 2025. With Governor Gavin Newsom termed out, Becerra emerged from a crowded Democratic primary — after Eric Swalwell’s campaign collapsed — and leads Hilton by roughly 58% to 33% in recent polling ahead of their CNN debate.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Allegations. The workplace claims in this section come from anonymous former Biden administration colleagues quoted in New York Post reporting. They were never admitted by Becerra, never criminally charged, and never adjudicated in court. Becerra denies the central claim and calls it “an outright fabrication.”
A former Biden administration official who worked with Becerra told the New York Post that during the 2021 border crisis, Becerra was the only official who “brazenly said, ’these little Juanitos and Juanitas’” while referring to unaccompanied migrant children, adding, “I never heard a single person disparage immigrant children.” The same official described Becerra’s demeanor on a White House Zoom call about moving children out of crowded detention facilities as “dead-fish eyes,” with “no emotion. No response.” Another former colleague graded his performance “meh,” saying, “I do not think he’s qualified to be the boss of anything.”
The Post reported that concerns about his HHS tenure surfaced within weeks of his confirmation: adviser Susan Rice allegedly berated him “at least once a week,” and his handling of migrant children drew scrutiny after a 2023 New York Times investigation revealed he had pressed staff to speed placements using an “assembly line” comparison. The Post previously reported, per HHS officials, that roughly 330,000 cases of children released during his tenure remained unresolved and that investigators identified more than 40 children who died after being processed by the agency.
The same day, the San Francisco Standard’s comedy interview with Becerra went viral: shown an endorsement page that touted “Mayor David Lurie” of San Francisco — the mayor’s name is Daniel — Becerra said their relationship was “growing” and praised “David” without ever correcting the error. In the same interview he said he would accept campaign money from Purdue Pharma, the opioid maker he personally sued as attorney general, because he believes in “redemption.”
His campaign rejected the ex-official’s account. Spokesperson Jonathan Underland wrote, “Jealousy breeds contempt, and Becerra accomplished more in Washington than most politicians do in a lifetime,” called the “Juanitos” allegation an outright fabrication, and credited Becerra with the $35 insulin cap and lower drug prices.
Public Reaction and Consequences
Clips of the interview spread widely, with viewers calling it “hard to watch.” “He doesn’t even know Mayor Daniel Lurie’s name… Hell NO!” one social-media user wrote. Republican rival Steve Hilton seized on the exclusive, calling Becerra an “empty suit” and saying the reporting confirms what he has heard “from people who worked side by side with him for years.”
Democrats split. A state legislator said they were “not impressed” with his attorney-general tenure, and a Democratic consultant said of his policy plans, “There are none.” Strategist Steve Maviglio called the candidate’s near-invisibility “concerning to a lot of people,” though others defended him — labor leader Lorena Gonzalez called him “engaged and persistent,” and pollster Paul Mitchell argued his big lead explains the cautious campaign.
Current Status
No criminal matter is involved; the episode is political. Becerra’s campaign says it will roll out more proposals and press events in October, and his endorsement page has been corrected to “Daniel” Lurie. He remains the heavy favorite: the September survey gave him about 58% to Hilton’s 33%, with the candidates meeting in a nationally televised CNN debate in Burbank the day after the stories published. The Post noted it could not reach Susan Rice or Mayorkas for comment on the alleged White House episodes.
Impact on Their Career/Life
The twin stories crystallize the attack line Becerra will carry into the general election: a frontrunner his own party’s insiders describe as thin on vision and, per former colleagues, thin on command. With a commanding poll lead, his candidacy is unlikely to collapse, but the “Juanitos” allegation — if it gains traction — threatens the Latino-community goodwill central to his political identity, and the Lurie mixup handed Republicans a ready-made competence attack for the debate stage.
Sources
- source — “Exclusive | Xavier Becerra appalled staff with offensive term for missing children while HHS secretary,” New York Post, September 29, 2026
- source — “Xavier Becerra’s excruciating interview sees him stumble over basic questions, gets name wrong in painful watch,” New York Post, September 29, 2026
- source — “Xavier Becerra shows off his BDE (Big Dad Energy) in interview with The Standard,” San Francisco Standard, September 25, 2026
- source — “Xavier Becerra,” Wikipedia