California Governor Gavin Newsom has been getting under Fox News’ skin with a series of satirical posts written in a style that mimics Donald Trump’s social media rants. His Press Office’s official X account has been publishing these mock-Trump-style messages, complete with all caps and exaggerated self-praise, which appear to be striking a nerve in conservative media circles.
Fox News host Dana Perino recently had a strong reaction on The Five, saying that Republicans “get the joke,” but that it’s simply “not funny.” She argued that Newsom’s style of trolling is “inauthentic,” though she did not make the same critique of Trump, who has long posted in the exact same tone only unironically.
Newsom’s Press Office doubled down after Perino’s comments, posting a mock statement that read:
“DANA ‘DING DONG’ PERINO (NEVER HEARD OF HER UNTIL TODAY!) IS MELTING DOWN BECAUSE OF ME, GAVIN C. NEWSOM! FOX HATES THAT I AM AMERICA’S MOST FAVORITE GOVERNOR (‘RATINGS KING’) SAVING AMERICA — WHILE TRUMP CAN’T EVEN CONQUER THE ‘BIG’ STAIRS ON AIR FORCE ONE ANYMORE!!!”
The trolling hasn’t stopped there. Fox host Greg Gutfeld, who has frequently criticized Newsom, also became a target. The Press Office account mocked his show’s “fake laughter” and called him “low-rated ‘GarbageMan’ Greg,” claiming that Fox should “get smart” and stop putting him on air.
What makes this dynamic fascinating is how rattled some conservative voices appear to be. The more they insist that the jokes aren’t funny, the more obvious it becomes that they’re hitting a nerve. Newsom’s strategy works precisely because it mirrors Trump’s own communication style, holding up a mirror to the absurdity of it. Supporters argue that it exposes the hypocrisy of criticizing Newsom for behavior that Trump himself has normalized for years.
Whether you find Newsom’s trolling funny or not, it’s hard to deny that it’s creating a strong reaction in MAGA circles—perhaps because deep down, even they know how strange Trump’s all-caps rants look to the rest of the world.
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