In a dramatic escalation of political theater, President Donald Trump unleashed a fiery response to California Governor Gavin Newsom’s relentless social media trolling, marking a rare moment where the president appeared visibly rattled by his Democratic rival. On August 20, 2025, Trump took to Truth Social, lambasting Newsom as “Gavin Newscum” and claiming he is “destroying the once Great State of California,” a reaction that followed days of Newsom’s provocative online campaign mimicking Trump’s bombastic style. The feud, which has captivated social media and drawn millions of views, underscores a broader clash over political messaging and power, with Newsom’s tactics boosting his national profile while exposing tensions in Trump’s administration, as reported by outlets like HuffPost and The New York Times.
Newsom’s strategy began in early August 2025, when his press office transformed its X account into a parody of Trump’s Truth Social posts, using all-caps rants, exaggerated boasts, and AI-generated memes to mock the president and his supporters. Posts like “DONALD TRUMP, THE LOWEST POLLING PRESIDENT IN RECENT HISTORY, THIS IS YOUR SECOND-TO-LAST WARNING!!!” targeted Trump’s policies, particularly a Texas-led redistricting effort backed by the president to add GOP congressional seats. Newsom countered with his “Election Rigging Response Act,” a California proposal to redraw maps in favor of Democrats, dubbed “Liberation Day” in a jab at Trump’s rhetoric. His team’s posts, dripping with sarcasm, called Trump “TACO” (Trump Always Chickens Out) and mocked his physicality, including clips of him stumbling on Air Force One, as noted in a Newsweek report from August 16, 2025.
The trolling hit a nerve. On August 20, Trump responded on Truth Social, writing, “Gavin Newscum is way down in the polls. I will save California!!! President DJT.” Newsom fired back on X with a single word: “Triggered,” accompanied by a screenshot of Trump’s post, as reported by Yahoo News. The exchange, which garnered millions of views, was seen as a victory for Newsom, who told MeidasTouch Network’s Adam Mockler, “I thought it’s time to put a mirror to Trump.” His strategy, described by Democratic strategist Christy Setzer as “pretty brilliant,” has energized liberals frustrated by the party’s perceived timidity, with CNN’s Harry Enten noting a 40-point surge in California Democrats’ support for a potential 2028 Newsom presidential run, from 35% in 2023 to 75% in 2025.
Conservatives, however, have hit back hard. White House communications director Steven Cheung called Newsom’s posts “very weird and not at all funny,” while deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson responded with a meme claiming Trump “never thinks” about Newsom—a move Newsom’s team mocked as a “spectacular self-own” for contradicting itself, per The Daily Beast. MAGA commentator Gunther Eagleman taunted Newsom, saying, “It’s called TROLLING! RENT FREE IN YOUR MINDS,” but Newsom’s press office retorted, “Says the guy in our comments lol.” Fox News hosts like Dana Perino and Trace Gallagher criticized Newsom’s tactics as childish, with Perino urging him to stop for the sake of his presidential ambitions, only to be met with a mocking response: “DANA ‘DING DONG’ PERINO IS MELTING DOWN BECAUSE OF ME, GAVIN C. NEWSOM!”
The feud’s broader implications are significant. Newsom’s approach, praised by tech journalist Kara Swisher for its “cutting tone,” has boosted his X following to 430,000, outpacing other Democratic governors, according to The New York Times. His strategy taps into a public appetite for confrontational politics, with posts averaging 21,200 reposts and 154,500 likes, per POLITICO. Yet, critics like Steve Maviglio argue Newsom is deflecting from California’s challenges, such as homelessness and crime, to fuel a 2028 campaign. Meanwhile, Trump’s team, known for its own AI-driven memes, faces a dilemma: engaging Newsom risks amplifying him, while ignoring him cedes ground in the attention economy.
As the 2026 midterms loom, this clash highlights a shifting political landscape where social media battles shape narratives. Newsom’s trolling has not only provoked Trump but also positioned him as a leading Democratic voice, while the president’s reaction reveals vulnerabilities in his administration’s messaging. With both sides doubling down, the saga underscores the power of digital provocation in modern politics, leaving observers wondering how far this war of words will go.
