California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office has escalated its feud with President Donald Trump by posting two AI-generated TikTok videos featuring the voice of Star Wars villain Emperor Palpatine reading Trump’s Truth Social posts about Los Angeles. The videos, shared on X by the Governor’s Press Office on June 10, 2025, mock Trump’s claims that Los Angeles has been “invaded and occupied by illegal aliens and criminals” and that his deployment of National Guard troops prevented the city from being “completely obliterated.” Set against dramatic Star Wars music and visuals of marching Stormtroopers, the posts are captioned “A ONCE GREAT AMERICAN CITY HAS BEEN OCCUPIED!” and “LOS ANGELES WOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY OBLITERATED!”
This trolling comes amid heightened tensions over Trump’s federalization of 2,000 California National Guard troops and deployment of 700 active-duty Marines to Los Angeles to counter protests sparked by ICE raids, actions Newsom has called “illegal” and “unconstitutional.” Newsom, alongside Attorney General Rob Bonta, has filed a lawsuit arguing the move violates the Posse Comitatus Act and state sovereignty. The governor has accused Trump of manufacturing a crisis to justify authoritarian measures, while Trump has retaliated by suggesting Newsom’s arrest and calling him “grossly incompetent” on Truth Social.
The videos have gone viral, with X users praising Newsom’s creative jab as “epic trolling” and “perfection,” though some note the serious undertones of the political clash. The Star Wars parody draws a sharp comparison between Trump’s rhetoric and Palpatine’s dictatorial persona, amplifying Newsom’s narrative that Trump’s actions threaten democracy. Meanwhile, Trump’s supporters defend the troop deployment as necessary to restore order, accusing Newsom of mismanaging the protests.
This public spat, blending pop culture satire with high-stakes political conflict, underscores the deep divide between California’s leadership and the Trump administration, with both sides leveraging social media to rally their bases.
