Poli Sci Experts Predict How Gavin Newsom's Brutal Mockery Of Trump And MAGA Will Resonate
Last week, the official social media account for Newsom's press office mimicked the president in a notably all-caps, Trump-esque tweet on X amid a controversial GOP redistricting ploy in Texas to send five more Republicans to the U.S. House. (Newsom has since launched a ballot initiative in California to ask voters in the state to approve early congressional redistricting to neutralize the Republican gains in Washington.)
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'CALIFORNIA WILL NOW DRAW NEW, MORE 'BEAUTIFUL MAPS,' THEY WILL BE HISTORIC AS THEY WILL END THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY (DEMS TAKE BACK THE HOUSE!)' Newsom's press office wrote.
And in a tweet published Friday, the governor's office ridiculed a photo of Trump jabbing a finger at Russian President Vladimir Putin by sharing a photo of Newsom doing the same thing to Trump on the tarmac of Los Angeles International Airport in January.
'TINY HANDS IS OUT HERE COPYING ME — BUT WITHOUT THE STAMINA (SAD), AND CERTAINLY WITHOUT THE 'LOOKS.' TOTAL BETA! — GCN' the tweet read.
Other posts from Newsom and his office have either imitated Trump's long-winded rants on his Truth Social platform or mocked some of the heavily edited and artificial intelligence-generated images that Trump and his MAGA supporters have been known to promote.
But Newsom and his office have not stopped at Trump. The X account for the governor's press team has been quick to hit back at other critics online, and Newsom and his team have had some brutal jokes for Vice President JD Vance.
Over the weekend, the California Democrat referenced Vance's past contentious exchange with Volodymyr Zelenskyy prior to the Ukrainian president's return to the Oval Office on Monday by sharing a viral video of Vance running awkwardly at the Disneyland theme park in California this summer.
'Go get 'em JD!' Newsom tweeted.
While some socialmedia users who oppose Trumphave celebrated Newsom and his team for viciously trolling the Trump administration, several prominent conservatives and MAGAsupportersonX have, unsurprisingly, taken issue with the brutal tit-for-tat approach.
Fox News anchor Trace Gallagher called Newsom's attacks 'childish,' Fox News host Dana Perino questioned whether the governor's wife would step in to stop him from tweeting, and right-wing commentator Tomi Lahren derided Newsom and his team as 'beta males' in a post on X.
Newsom told reporters last week that he hoped his trolling was a 'wake-up call' and that 'the deeper question is, how have we allowed the normalization of his tweets, Truth Social posts' without 'similar scrutiny and notice.'
But is this an effective approach to fight against the Trump administration? Will Newsom's trolling help energize the left? Read on to hear what experts in political science think.
Why Newsom is using mockery to fight against Trump.
'In the age of Trump, my sense is that both Democrats and Republicans are casting about for approaches that are effective in countering Trump's unique style,' said Steven J. Balla, associate professor of political science, public policy and public administration, and international affairs at The George Washington University.
Balla said that these responses tend to range from more 'high road' approaches to strategies that seek in some way to 'mirror' Trump.
'For now (at least) and on this issue (at least) Newsom has opted for the 'mirroring' approach,' he said. 'Why is that? I would think that such an approach is seen as a pathway to the Democratic nomination. That is, it is popular among Democratic primary voters, who tend to track to the left of the median Democrat. The target audience, in other words, is progressive Democrats.'
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Tabitha Bonilla, an associate professor of political science and human development and social policy at Northwestern University, told HuffPost that she believes, 'Democrats are starting to realize that 'politics as usual' is not working as an approach.'
'They lost the election, Democrat favorability is low and there have been a lot of calls to reinvent themselves (and not a lot of agreement on what that means),' she said. 'I think it's clear that Governor Newsom is trying to establish a leadership role within the party and along with that, a style that pokes fun at the president.'
'I think all of this is a way to draw attention to the difference in how President Trump has used social media, but also as a point to demonstrate that Governor Newsom can play on the president's level,' she added.
Jacob Neiheisel, associate professor of political science at the University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences, told HuffPost that he thinks Newsom is responding to 'elements of the Democratic rank-and-file who want party leaders to 'take the gloves off' and fight harder against Trump.'
Why people on the left are celebrating Newsom trolling Trump.
While people on the left have differing views about how to fight against the Trump administration — and different opinions about Newsom himself — there are many Democrats online who are celebrating the governor's approach to opposing Trump.
Neiheisel thinks this is because there is a desire among some on the left to 'take the fight to Trump and to adopt Trump-like methods.'
'This move is hardly surprising to me given that the parties tend to emulate each other in many ways, particularly after a loss,' he said.
Balla thinks the celebration is likely the loudest among progressive Democrats, 'much in the same way that Trump's communications play well with MAGA voters.'
'In both parties, I think, there are plenty of voters who are disenchanted with mocking attacks,' he said. 'But these voters are increasingly seen as relics, and they are most likely more moderate and therefore less crucial during primary contests.'
Bonilla said that while she has not yet seen evidence in polls to suggest whether this style of attacking the president 'pushes opinion very far,' she thinks that for some Democrats, it is exciting to see their leaders fight against Trump.
'In this moment, where the Trump administration has disrupted a lot of how the government functions, has increased the powers of ICE and taken over municipal governments, people are incredibly eager for a way to express worry, frustration, and dissatisfaction with the way things are going,' she said.
Is Newsom's approach an effective strategy?
Newsom is widely speculated to be running for president in 2028. Should his potential political ambitions matter as people evaluate the effectiveness of his current attacks on Trump?
Bonilla said that she supposes it 'does not hurt to engage with why a politician is acting in a particular way,' but thinks that 'most voters are pretty savvy in trying to discern if what an elected official is doing is trustworthy or represents them first and foremost.'
But she suspects that any questions surrounding Newsom's political ambitions won't interfere with how people are currently responding to his attacks on Trump.
'However, I do think it would be a mistake to think that what Newsom is doing is a viable strategy for the Democratic Party as a whole,' she said. 'First, this type of response will probably lose meaning the more people do it. Second, other than poking fun at the president, I'd be surprised if this fully helped people (re)gain trust in the Democratic Party.'
Balla said that he thinks Newsom's attacks on Trump are 'indistinguishable' from his political ambitions. 'In the end, is this an effective approach? To win a Democratic primary, perhaps,' he said.
Overall, Balla finds it interesting that the Democratic Party is 'still so Trump-focused,' since he (presumably) won't be on the 2028 ticket.
'So will a Trump-like approach be effective in the next presidential election cycle? That in part depends on who the Republican nominee is and what that candidate's strengths and weaknesses are,' he said. 'Newsom (and others running against Trump) run the risk of winning the Democratic nomination but being ill-equipped to pivot to the general election.'
But regardless of how Newsom's style of attack may play out in the future, are his recent posts likely getting under the president's skin?
Neiheisel 'absolutely' believes so.
'Trump was triggered by a painting that was mildly unflattering,' he said. 'I think it is just in his nature to take exception to these types of attacks. And it is in the nature of his supporters to react on his behalf.'
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