Gavin Newsom Strikes A Nerve — And Seizes The Spotlight — As He Treads On Trump's Turf

After months of escalating attacks against President Donald Trump, California Gov. Gavin Newsom seems to person yet deed a nervus by hijacking his tactics.

Newsom has put California astatine nan halfway of Democrats’ run against a Trump-backed effort successful Texas to pad nan GOP’s U.S. House majority, countering pinch a rare, mid-decade redistricting connection of his own. All nan while, he’s flooded societal media pinch a dependable watercourse of all-caps screeds mocking nan president’s signature style.

It’s commanded a whirlwind of nationalist attention, from Democrats and Republicans alike, that fewer successful Newsom’s statement person been capable to negociate during Trump’s 2nd term.

This week alone, Newsom was singled retired by erstwhile President Barack Obama for his “responsible approach” to redrawing California’s legislature maps; by Vice President JD Vance, who slammed him in a Fox News interview for trying to mimic Trump; and astatine nan extremity of nan nighttime by Trump himself connected Truth Social.

“Triggered?” Newsom responded to Trump.

For Newsom, who is connected nan short database of imaginable 2028 White House hopefuls, it each comes arsenic nan Democratic Party’s guidelines supra each other is itching for a combatant to return connected Trump and nan GOP.

“He would for illustration to beryllium nan nominee successful ‘28. Is he succeeding connected getting that benignant of attention? Yes, he is,” said Willie Brown, a longtime friend and governmental mentor to Newsom.

“In this governmental business, that’s what you unrecorded connected and unrecorded by and dream for. If you want to beryllium effective, nan nationalist has sewage to cognize astir you, and you either do that by paying for your ain societal media efforts aliases hiring someone,” Brown continued. “Newsom gets it for free astatine nan moment.”

Beyond nan all-caps tactic, memes for illustration that of a shirtless Newsom wearing Calvin Klein underwear pinch nan American emblem waving successful nan inheritance person proliferated connected societal media, arsenic person TikTok videos of nan politician going aft Trump. Since nan commencement of August, nan governor’s property relationship connected X has added 250,000 followers and racked up much than 225 cardinal impressions, according to Newsom’s team.

Conservatives person teed disconnected connected Newsom’s societal media assault, arguing that he was embarrassing himself, wasting nationalist resources and wasn’t really nan one posting.

When Fox News big Dana Perino said Newsom was making a fool of himself, nan governor’s unit relationship offered a Trump-style response.

“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!!! TRUMP HAS ‘LOST HIS STEP’ AND FOX IS LOSING IT BECAUSE WHEN I TYPE, AMERICA NOW WINS!!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER. — GCN,” the station read.

The station garnered 5.2 cardinal views.

“If thing else, we’ve called retired nan absurdity of nan normalization of Donald Trump,” Newsom said Wednesday connected a telephone held by nan Democratic National Committee. “You can’t make it up. I mean, erstwhile Fox is sitting there, ohio so, truthful concerned astir these tweets successful each caps, they’ve missed nan full point, haven’t they, of what we’re pushing backmost and what we’re doing?”

“Maybe they should salary attraction [to] what nan president of nan United States of America is modeling each azygous day,” Newsom continued. “Nothing astir this is normal. And it needs to beryllium called out.”

This week, X added a grey checkmark to Newsom’s @GovPressOffice count to separate it arsenic a authorities organization, a Newsom spokesperson said, adding it was not astatine their petition but happened aft clone accounts popped up.

Newsom’s aides opportunity since he was politician of San Francisco, he has put a premium connected his staffers taking risks, handing retired awards for nan biggest failures to observe imaginative gambits. That ambiance has spawned nan latest societal media attack from nan governor’s team, which they opportunity holds a reflector to Trump.

“It’s working. It’s getting nether their skin,” said 1 Newsom confidant, who was granted anonymity because they weren’t authorized to talk connected behalf of nan governor. “Whether it’s nan [X] relationship aliases nan memes, nary one’s been capable to item nan absurdity and propulsion it back. He’s been capable to do it.”

Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, dismissed Newsom’s tactics.

“Nothing astir Newscum is authentic -- from his rehearsed answers to his flip-flopping argumentation positions — he goes immoderate measurement nan upwind blows… truthful it makes consciousness that he would effort to mimic nan President’s wildly successful connection strategy. Imitation is nan sincerest shape of flattery, but Gavin’s behaviour is conscionable getting weird astatine this point,” Jackson said successful a statement.

‘Something that nary different Democrat has done’

Since January, nan battles Newsom has waged against Trump and his friends person been large and small, ranging from a $787 million defamation suit against Fox News to countering nan president’s unit deployment successful Los Angeles pursuing migration raids. Newsom held a nationally televised reside that panned Trump’s actions arsenic akin to a dictator. According to Newsom’s office, nan remarks, shared connected societal media, were viewed much than 40 cardinal times.

In California, Newsom’s favorability ratings person notched up successful nan polls arsenic he’s much prominently stood up to Trump. It’s unclear really agelong Newsom tin prolong nan spotlight, but for now, moreover immoderate of Trump’s closest friends opportunity he has caught lightning successful a bottle.

Steve Bannon, nan blimpish designer of Trump’s first statesmanlike run who was instrumental successful shaping his early messaging and policy, offered praise for Newsom’s “brilliant” governmental gambit.

“This really shows really overmuch Trump has changed modern politics. You person to beryllium connected offense, and you person to break done nan media achromatic noise, and it’s not arsenic overmuch policy-driven arsenic attitude- and style-driven,” Bannon told NBC News. “He’s done thing that nary different Democrat has done. He’s energized these guys. He’s trying to instill nan fighting tone successful a very dispirited statement that has mislaid 4 cardinal people. You person to put nan guidon connected a hill, and you person to rally nan troops astir something.”

Newsom called connected California lawmakers past week to group a typical predetermination for November wherever voters would beryllium asked whether nan authorities should redraw its legislature districts up of nan 2026 midterm elections. The ballot measure, which came successful consequence to Texas’ projected caller map, is basal successful California to circumvent nan independent redistricting committee that usually controls nan process.

Since Newsom announced nan inaugural past week, small-dollar donations person flooded successful online.

In conversations pinch donors and supporters, Newsom has made clear that Democrats are embarking connected an all-out warfare pinch a dense advertisement run aft Labor Day. One Newsom adjutant expressed assurance successful nan outcome, saying, “We wouldn’t do this if we didn’t spot a path.”

In pursuing nan redistricting fight, Newsom has been successful regular interaction pinch House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and erstwhile Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., according to 3 group pinch knowledge of nan conversations.

Pelosi “has been successful touch pinch him from nan beginning” connected nan maps and strategy, 1 of nan sources said, adding that she’s not nan “ring leader” of nan effort but alternatively a assets for nan delegation who is helping raise costs for nan project.

2028 groundwork

Newsom’s expertise to thrust his connection comes arsenic a soul-searching Democratic Party has craved a counterweight to Trump.

“Finally we sewage a combatant to guidelines up for our democracy!!!!” salient Democratic philanthropist Susie Buell wrote successful a connection to NBC News. Buell, who co-founded nan Esprit and North Face clothing brands, said she is “waiting and willing” to put successful nan redistricting fight. “Fighting occurrence pinch occurrence is our only way.”

Adam Bozzi, a advisor and wide activistic who fought to walk a nationwide anti-gerrymandering measure during nan Biden administration, said he still believes that rule would person been “better for voters successful Texas and California” and “avoided this governmental mess.”

But moreover he backs what Newsom is doing now.

“You cannot expect thing different than this title to nan bottommost if this is nan strategy that we have,” Bozzi said. “This is nan strategy they created. ... Hard to knock personification for moving wrong nan system.”

Aaron Bennett, a Democratic strategist and erstwhile apical speechwriter for Pelosi, said Newsom’s “fighting attitude” could thief him successful a 2028 contest.

“That’s nan territory nan primary’s going to beryllium fought on,” Bennett said. “Those articulating it now are going to beryllium a measurement ahead. So it’s nan copy pieces. It’s showing nan grit and willingness to do what it takes to execute it.”

Not each Democrats are precisely smitten, however.

“Grandstanding phony” was really billionaire Democratic philanthropist John Morgan described Newsom. “Trying to usage galore Americans’ fears to beforehand himself. What he doesn’t understand [is] nan much we see, nan little we like.”

Another longtime California governmental state to Newsom was clear-eyed astir perceptions of him arsenic he moved into nan nationalist stage. A lengthy governmental résumé unsocial is not capable to flooded nan Golden State’s estimation for lurching excessively acold to nan left, nan personification said.

“The thought of a wide California feline moving for president of nan United States, pinch slicked backmost hair, a cleanable woman and 4 children, the judgement pinch nan French Laundry, going anyplace nationwide, I conscionable deliberation nan likelihood are against him,” said nan Democratic ally, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly. “He has to find immoderate measurement to break done and go nan leader of nan country.”