Newsom mocks Trump's social media in a flurry of redistricting posts
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Writing posts in President Trump's signature all-caps style, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is using the nationwide redistricting battle to satirize the president's communications.
Why it matters: Newsom has made trolling Trump a deliberate part of his strategy for opposing the president, who is pushing red states like Texas to draw new congressional boundaries early to shore up Republicans' odds of holding the House in the midterms.
- Democratic governors like Newsom are threatening to respond with new maps of their own.
What he's saying: "I'm just following his example," Newsom told reporters Thursday. "If you have issues with what I'm putting out, you sure as hell should have concerns with what he's putting out as president."
- "To the extent it's gotten some attention, I'm pleased, but I think the deeper question is how have we allowed the normalization of his tweets, Truth Social posts over the course of the last many years, to go without similar scrutiny and notice?"
Driving the news: Newsom's posts are being shared from his press office's account. Many are signed with "GCN," a riff off of Trump's "DJT" signature.
- "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but Newscum's obsession is getting a little creepy at this point. Gavin will never be ready for primetime!" White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement.
Case in point: "DONALD IS FINISHED — HE IS NO LONGER 'HOT,'" Newsom's office wrote in Thursday post. "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."
- In a Wednesday post, the governor's office said the announcement of California's proposed new congressional maps would be "LIBERATION DAY FOR AMERICA," a term Trump has repeatedly used.
- "STAND DOWN NOW OR CALIFORNIA WILL COUNTER-STRIKE (LEGALLY!) TO DESTROY YOUR ILLEGAL CROOKED MAPS IN RED STATES," Newsom's team wrote on Tuesday.
Zoom out: Trump's Truth Social has become a venue for official White House communications as well as the president's own musings.
- Meanwhile, the White House and federal officials have shared memes on sensitive subjects, often immigration, on official social media platforms.
Go deeper: California governor threatens "trigger" redistricting plan based on what Texas GOP decides
Editor's note: This story has been updated with comments from the White House.
