California Governor Gavin Newsom has gained significant attention for his posts on Instagram, X, Facebook and TikTok. Mirroring tactics President Donald Trump uses on social media, Newsom has posted tweets using capital letters, AI-generated memes and nicknames for Trump.
In the past, Democratic politicians have generally maintained a neutral social media presence despite Trump’s patterns of personal insults and imitation. Newsom, however, began copying these same aggressive tactics in response to the immigration raids, Republican redistricting measures and other Trump-led orders. When speaking to FOX 11 Los Angeles, Newsom touched on these tactics.
“Yes, I’ve changed,” Newsom said. “The facts have changed, we [Democrats] need to change.”
On X, Newsom’s team reposted an edited image of Mount Rushmore with his face carved next to the founding fathers. They posted another image of him as a messiah-like figure being worshiped by Trump supporters, including Kid Rock, Hulk Hogan and Tucker Carlson. On TikTok, an iteration of the viral Coldplay kiss-cam video was posted, with Jeffrey Epstein as the then-Astronomer CEO and Trump’s figure as the woman with him. Captioned “coming for his neck,” Newsom also posted an edit making fun of Trump to the song “Beauty and the Beat” by Justin Bieber.
Lucia ’27 expressed her thoughts about the change in direction of Newsom’s recent posts.
“It’s surprising to see someone on the other side of the political spectrum adopting Trump’s political tactics,” Lucia said.
Trump, in response, has used Newsom’s name across social media more than any other Democratic politician since the inauguration and began referring to him as “Newscum.” On Truth Social, a social media platform launched by Trump in 2022, Trump posted a digitally altered clip displaying Newsom’s head on the body of someone struggling to hit a punching bag with an image of a well-muscled Trump. On X, Trump posted another altered clip of Newsom wearing a red “Trump 2028” hat.
With over 19 million views on TikTok and over 10 million views on X, Newsom captured the attention of both Democratic and Republican party members while waging a media war against Trump.
Newsom’s media activity has resulted in placing him as a leading contender for the 2028 presidential election. Currently in polls, Newsom appears to have become the unofficial frontrunner. However, the eventual outcome of this strategy is still uncertain.
Within the Democratic Party, many are excited about this newfound fearlessness and entertaining strategy. Others, such as San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, have criticized Newsom, advocating for a more pragmatic approach rather than engaging in national clashes on social media.
“The way we win the fight for a better California is by solving problems in the real world, not by stooping to Donald Trump’s level online,” Mahan wrote in an op-ed for The San Francisco Standard.
The social media war between Newsom and Trump has also gained notice from younger generations, often shifting emphasis from traditional news outlets to social media platforms. English Instructor and Class of 2030 Dean Caitlin Benson commented on the impact of this change, especially for young voters.
“I think the recent shift in Governor Newsom’s social media strategy is an acknowledgment of the ongoing shift away from legacy media outlets, such as The New York Times and CNN, to social media as the primary vehicle for news and political communication — especially with younger voters,” Benson said. “Social media played a massive role in the 2024 presidential election, and both political parties see young voters as a crucial demographic capable of swinging elections.”
