Gavin Newsom’s recent social-media tantrums read like a bad parody of Donald Trump — full of ALL CAPS, mock insults, and performative outrage meant to go viral. Conservatives should call this what it is: a calculated bid for attention that shows the left is willing to borrow any weapon in the playbook, no matter how crude, to score political points.
The drama isn’t just petty online sniping — Newsom’s team publicly threatened to redraw California’s maps as a political counterpunch after Texas Republicans moved on redistricting, turning what should be state-level governance into national partisan theater. This is the kind of raw power-politics move that weakens trust in our institutions and invites tit-for-tat escalation from every state capitol.
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Newsom’s office is wildly devoted: his press account didn’t merely mock the president, it began posting in the same all-caps, in-your-face tone and even lobbed nicknames and public taunts. It’s revolting to watch a governor stoop to performative trolling while pretending he’s defending democratic norms.
This campaign of trolling has spilled into darker territory — Newsom’s team has used AI-generated videos to lampoon political opponents, a move that mirrors the weaponized misinformation tactics the left accuses others of using. Whether it’s deepfake mockery of a rival or public humiliation in short clips, this is not leadership; it’s the digital equivalent of throwing gasoline on a cultural fire.
Newsom’s own explanation — that he’s “just following” Trump’s lead — exposes the hypocrisy at the heart of the progressive moral lecturing machine. Democrats who once demanded civility now wear the very tactics they condemned as badges of honor when it suits their ambition, proving their outrage was never about principle but about political advantage.
Make no mistake: weaponized redistricting, public shaming campaigns, and staged social-media gaffes are corrosive to the rule of law and to civic life. Conservatives must call out these tactics consistently, defend federalism, and remind Americans that governance is about steady principles, not viral stunts.
Hardworking patriots should see through this circus and demand better from those who claim to lead. When governors trade policy for posturing and threaten to redraw maps as political payback, every citizen — regardless of party — should be alarmed and ready to hold them accountable at the ballot box.
