Gavin Newsom Finds His Sharpest Weapon: Satire
Forget policy podcasts. His biting parody of Trump is energizing the base in ways nothing else has.
By Andrew Kordik
In a recent post on X, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Press Office account wrote, “DONALD IS FINISHED — HE IS NO LONGER ‘HOT.’ FIRST THE HANDS (SO TINY) AND NOW ME — GAVIN C. NEWSOM — HAVE TAKEN AWAY HIS ‘STEP.’ MANY ARE SAYING HE CAN’T EVEN DO THE ‘BIG STAIRS’ ON AIR FORCE ONE ANYMORE — USES THE LITTLE BABY STAIRS NOW. SAD!” He continued, “ALL THE TELEVISION CAMERAS ARE ON ME, AMERICA’S FAVORITE GOVERNOR.”
The governor has hit his stride as a Trump troll. Long criticized for appearing inauthentic and overly calculated, the California Democrat, who survived a recall vote only four years ago, is becoming the face of his party as he finds a new, mock-confrontationl voice — one that often sounds hilariously similar to President Trump’s. And in doing so, he is connecting himself to a long tradition in which satire serves as an act of political defiance.
Newsom’s team has spent nearly a year working to recast the governor’s image ahead of a possible 2028 presidential run. The effort was anchored at first by a seven-episode podcast, This Is Gavin, in which the governor interviewed a range of politicians and pundits, from progressives like Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and New York Times columnist Ezra Klein to Steve Bannon and Charlie Kirk, both podcasters and MAGA provocateurs.
Newsom’s goal was to demonstrate that he is not some coastal elite, too progressive and slick to connect with moderate swing-state voters. For example, he called it “deeply unfair” that transgender athletes win high school track competitions — an issue that divides Democrats and one on which Newsom said his party is “getting crushed.”
The success of that rebranding effort was unclear. Newsom took sharp criticism from progressives in his party for the statement about transgender athletes and other pivots to the center.
But in recent weeks, Newsom updated his strategy. He has now mostly abandoned the embrace-the-opposition centrism of his podcast and adopted a fight-mode response to Trump. And the no-holds-barred attacks seem to be landing: they are either delightful or maddening, depending on whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican.
The shift began in July, when Texas Republicans embraced President Trump’s call to redraw the state’s congressional districts in a way that would likely flip five US House seats from Democratic to Republican control in the 2026 midterm elections. Newsom was quick to condemn the plan, accusing President Trump and Texas Governor Greg Abbot of trying to “rig the 2026 elections.” The governor continued, “This moment requires us” to “fight fire with fire.”
It was more than a rhetorical flourish. By mid-August, Newsom had announced a redistricting bill of his own, one that would temporarily bypass the state’s independent redistricting commission and counter Texas by gerrymandering five California districts to favor Democrats.
But what really stood out was the way Newsom defended his plan. More than fierce, Newsom, it turns out, is funny.
As part of a campaign to build support for California’s new maps, the governor’s social media team began a series of posts that parodied and mocked President Trump.
The first, on August 12, read: “DONALD TRUMP, THE LOWEST POLLING PRESIDENT IN RECENT HISTORY, THIS IS YOUR SECOND-TO-LAST WARNING!!! (THE NEXT ONE IS THE LAST ONE!) STAND DOWN NOW OR CALIFORNIA WILL COUNTER-STRIKE (LEGALLY!) TO DESTROY YOUR ILLEGAL CROOKED MAPS IN RED STATES. PRESS CONFERENCE COMING — HOSTED BY AMERICA’S FAVORITE GOVERNOR, GAVIN NEWSOM. FINAL WARNING NEXT. YOU WON’T LIKE IT!!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.”
Newsom posted again later that day, addressing his tweet to “DONALD ‘TACO’ TRUMP” and explaining the “HISTORIC” nature of his “NEW, MORE ‘BEAUTIFUL MAPS’” that “WILL END THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY.” (“TACO” is an acronym for “Trump always chickens out” — a reference to Trump’s tendency to announce punitive tariffs on trading partners and then back off when the stock market reacts poorly.)
Since then, Newsom has kept trolling the president. He called him “LOW IQ.” He panned Trump’s meeting with Vladimir Putin, saying the president was “TOTALLY LOW ENERGY” and looked like “HE’D JUST EATEN 3 BUCKETS OF KFC WITH VLAD.” Beyond Trump, Newsom has trolled Trump supporter Kid Rock (“A THREAT TO THE NATION’S EARDRUMS”). And he’s assumed the president’s penchant for nicknames, referring to those in Trump’s orbit as “DANA ‘DING DONG’ PERINO,” “KaroLYIN Leavitt,” and “JUST DANCE VANCE” (a reference to Vice President JD Vance’s appearance on Dancing with the Stars).
Republicans have felt the need to respond. Perino, a Fox News personality, said Newsom is “making a fool of himself” and added that “he’s got a big job as Governor of California but if he wants an even bigger job he has to be more serious.” Vice President JD Vance, perhaps realizing that criticizing the governor’s tweet style would also be a criticism of his boss, chirped back that Newsom should just “be authentic.”
President Trump, responding days later, could muster only: “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!!! President DJT.” It was a tempered response from the country’s chief troll. Trump probably realized that any reply in his typical style would only reinforce the joke and empower Newsom.
Satire As Resistance
The governor isn’t just trying to be funny — he’s using his satire as a political weapon. And he is not the first to do so.
As Yale anthropologist James C. Scott has written in his studies of peasant resistance, oppressed groups often use humor to challenge authority, preserve their own dignity, and build solidarity. Enslaved communities in the United States found hope in singing songs and creating dances that mocked those who had enslaved them.
With his film The Great Dictator, Charlie Chaplin arguably helped inch Americans away from isolationism by savagely lampooning Hitler and fascism.
More recently, political satire played an important role in the Arab Spring protests that swept across North Africa in 2011. Egyptians who had long feared Hosni Mubarak, their strongman president, gained confidence when an image circulated of Mubarak as a mummy wrapped up in toilet paper. Writing about it for The Atlantic, Anna Louie Sussman said, “Sharing a laugh, often in real time, created a sense of solidarity and camaraderie.” The joke allowed disaffected Egyptians to feel united and unafraid as they giggled together about the absurd dictator.
To judge by his social media accounts, Newsom’s mockery of Trump is indeed tapping the subversive power of humor and building confidence and solidarity among Democrats. Since August 1, Newsom’s X account has gained more than 250,000 followers and, according to Politico, has received over 225 million impressions. The most recent Morning Consult poll of likely Democratic primary voters shows support for Newsom in a 2028 presidential run is now at 19%, an almost fourfold increase since March.
It’s far too early to say whether Newsom’s trolling will propel him to the White House. But there is little doubt that it’s helping him overcome his authenticity problem and energizing the Democratic base as voters head into a midterm year. At the moment, it’s enough for many Democrats that they have a fighter. And it helps that he makes them laugh.
Andrew Kordik is a history teacher in Valley Center, CA, and a recipient of the Above & Beyond Outstanding Teacher of America award.
From the Editor: I’d love to hear your take on Newsom’s tactics: are you enjoying seeing him fight fire with fire? Is it too undignified? If you’re a CA voter, will you be voting for or against California’s redistricting plan? Tell me in the comments.
His social media, etc, is managed by Camille Zapata, a Latina woman in her late twenties. I’m CERTAIN that Newsom has some hand in the satirical approach. Only crediting her because she wasn’t mentioned and it’s likely he’s not writing all of this himself.
I find it wonderfully hilarious. Even more hilarious is when Republicans say it’s undignified. 😂