Gavin Newsom is Trolling Trump Online and It’s Driving Republicans Mad

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has found a new way to get Democrats fired up online while annoying Republicans at the same time. He’s leaning into a style that feels very familiar to anyone who has followed American politics in recent years. Newsom is now acting like Donald Trump.

On X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Newsom’s press office account has been pumping out posts that look like they could have come straight from Trump’s old feed. They’re self-promotional, full of insults, often written in all caps, and sprinkled with awkward quotation marks and parentheticals. One recent example was a post mocking Trump’s press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Right after that jab, Newsom used the same post to highlight his own initiative to redraw California’s congressional districts in response to what he calls Texas’ extreme gerrymandering.

He isn’t holding back. Newsom reposted an AI-generated meme of his face on Mount Rushmore with the caption “WHAT AN HONOR!” He mocked Republican Vice President JD Vance with a jab about eyeliner, writing, “NOT EVEN HIS EYELINER LINES LOOK AS PRETTY AS CALIFORNIA ‘MAP’ LINES.” He also shared a fake meme claiming there were “worldwide calls” for him to win the Nobel Peace Prize, poking fun at Trump’s obsession with the award. And, in another Trump-like touch, he often signs off posts with “THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!”

Democrats seem thrilled with this new side of Newsom. They’re excited to see him fighting hard against Texas’ redistricting plans and taking on Republicans in a way that feels sharp and entertaining. His posts have quickly gained traction online, partly because they break the mold of what people expect from Democrats, who are usually more cautious and polished in tone.

This shift fits into a bigger experimental phase for Newsom as he tests different lanes for his political career and future ambitions. Earlier this year, he launched a podcast and surprised some by appearing friendly with conservative pundits. That raised questions about whether he was moving to the right. But in recent months, he has been more outspoken against Trump’s decisions, such as federalizing California’s National Guard, and he has been vocal in defending undocumented immigrants. His social media trolling combined with the fight over redistricting suggests he’s trying something new, channeling Trump’s playbook while turning it back on him.

Republican media figures have struggled with how to respond. Fox News host Dana Perino said, “Stop it with the Twitter thing. I don’t know where his wife is. If I were his wife I would say, ‘You are making a fool of yourself, stop it.’” She argued that while Newsom has a big job as governor, he should act more serious if he wants to aim higher politically. Fox host Trace Gallagher went further, saying, “I don’t know what he’s trying to do, but it comes across as childish and — you are the governor of the biggest state in the union — what are you doing?!” The challenge for Republicans is that mocking Newsom for being unserious forces them to admit that Trump’s posts carry the same flaws.

Trump himself seems to have noticed. On Truth Social he wrote, “Gavin Newscum is way down in the polls. He is viewed as the man who is destroying the once Great State of California. I will save California!!!” It is unclear if Trump’s comments were sparked by Newsom’s trolling, his redistricting push, or both. But either way, the California governor is clearly getting under Trump’s skin.

Newsom may not be able to ride this gimmick all the way to a White House run. Still, it shows a willingness to experiment with a style that feels looser and more irreverent than what most Democrats usually attempt. Whether this becomes a lasting strategy or just a temporary stunt, it has put him at the center of online political chatter and given Democrats something they rarely get from their leaders: a little entertainment.

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