The ongoing political competition between President Donald Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom has reached heights filled with new memes in the latest chapter.
Trump shared a video generated on September 4, 2025 to Newsom's AI wearing the red “Trump 2028.” Over 429,000 people watched the video after being posted on Trump's X profile.
The video claims that the California governor jokingly mailed a “Trump 2028” hat.
This was a revised version of a clip in which Newsom spoke about Trump's potential presidential bid in 2028. “I was no joke when I said I got my Trump 2028 hat in the mail. In the edited video, I declare, “These guys aren't screwed around.”
– Donald J. Trump (@RealdonaldTrump) September 4, 2025
Trump vs Gavin Newsammeme battle
The Ai-Edited video is part of the ongoing online exchange between Trump and Newsom, revealing increasingly political rivalries between digital platforms and social media.
What began as a series of policy conflicts and personal shaming is now left to a full-fledged meme war, with both leaders attacking each other using AI-generated content.
President Trump posted this video of Governor Gavin Newsom about the true social. pic.twitter.com/7y5pnij8mi
– Anthony (@anthonycabassa_) September 4, 2025
It's been a while since the duo became a meme thrill. Nicknames like “Takoslam” and “little hand” began appearing in Newsom's tweets when they interacted with Trump's most outspoken followers using the same strategy that Trump created to establish an online persona.
Newsom responded to Trump's criticism of social media by pointing out the shortcomings of his administration and teasing his nickname, “Taco Trump.” Newsom has not hesitated to take the president head on important topics such as immigration, environmental policy and the president's position on the pandemic.
Hahaha: Gavin Newsom's press conference office just posted this very realistic photo of Trump after posting a distorted image of Rosie O'Donnell. Donald should take his own presidential fitness test! pic.twitter.com/s8glsbywat
– Harry Sisson (@harryjsisson) September 4, 2025
Trump has also not stepped back from making the right response. One particularly noteworthy video showed Newsom's face being digitally swapped and digitally swapped with a man who punches a punching bag labeled with Trump's face.
In one video, Newsom is shown as a police officer holding a helpless “babe tramp,” dropping the mock into a cage while the baby screams in frustration. In another video, he welcomes “Short Playing Cards” into his office with the theme song for The Wizard of Oz, playing the image and size of the Playing Card.
Trump and Newsom's professional relationship
Earlier in Newsom's tenure as California governor, the two men shared a short period of cooperation. During the 2018 California wildfires, both Newsom and former governor Jerry Brown worked with Trump to secure federal aid for the state. Trump praised Newsom, calling him “great” and said he had a “very effective” work relationship.
But over time, deep political differences began to emerge. The two have repeatedly clashed over issues such as handling California wildfires, Trump's immigration policy, and state vs. federal authorities.
Trump repeatedly criticised Newsom's handling of California wildfires and accused the governor of exacerbating the disaster scenario due to the state's environmental policies.
Newsom has become a critic of Trump's immigration policy, his plan to build a border wall, and his voice for deregulation of environmental regulations.
The feud made a more personal turn when Trump began calling Newsom a “news come.”
Newsom shot back with his own sharp criticism, leading to years of tense, often intense exchanges. As rivalry deepens, it has become clear that Newsom has positioned himself as Trump's horrifying enemy and could turn his eyes to the 2028 presidential run.
