In yet another display of political theater, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office responded with smug celebration after Fox News host Dana Perino dared to criticize the Democrat’s recent social media behavior. The back-and-forth reveals more than just a spat between media and politics — it highlights Newsom’s growing obsession with emulating Donald Trump’s communication style, all while his own state grapples with deep-rooted crises.
On Monday, during an episode of The Five, Dana Perino directly addressed Newsom’s recent antics on X , where his account has been pumping out bizarre, bombastic posts styled to mock President Trump. “For the last week, Gavin Newsom— and why am I giving him advice? You have to stop it with the Twitter thing,” Perino said bluntly. “I don’t know where his wife is. If I were his wife, I would say, ‘You are making a fool of yourself, stop it!’ Do not let your staff tweet, and if you are doing it yourself, put the phone away and start over.”
She didn’t stop there. Perino questioned the governor’s priorities, saying, “He’s got a big job as governor of California, but if he wants an even bigger job, he has to be a little bit more serious.” In short: California’s challenges demand leadership, not late-night parody tweets.
Newsom’s team, however, chose mockery over maturity. In a display that many conservatives would label unserious and performative, Newsom’s office fired back by reposting Perino’s clip with a caption that read, “ALMOST A WEEK IN AND THEY STILL DON’T GET IT.”
But it didn’t end there.
In an over-the-top follow-up post, Newsom’s official X account wrote:
“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 post, dripping with exaggerated self-praise and juvenile digs, is a textbook example of what happens when a sitting governor tries too hard to go viral. Far from demonstrating leadership, Newsom appears increasingly preoccupied with partisan performance art.
Newsom’s communications director, Izzy Gardon, attempted to explain the governor’s online strategy, saying, “Gavin Newsom & his team are holding up a mirror for MAGA so they can see how we see them. Turns out they aren’t fans.” But that logic rings hollow when Californians are struggling with skyrocketing homelessness, rising crime, rampant drug addiction, and unaffordable housing. If this is how the governor chooses to spend his time, voters may start wondering whether he’s more interested in trolling MAGA than tackling California’s problems.
Perino responded to the mockery with clarity and a reminder of what governance should look like. “He was reading tweets that were written for him by people that he is heavily investing in to try to help him look more like Trump, I guess,” she said. “I mean, I thought they hated Trump, but they’re trying to be more like him and they have to pay people to do it.”
She compared Newsom to other Democratic governors like Andy Beshear, Josh Shapiro, and Gretchen Whitmer—leaders who, despite political differences, are focused on actually running their states. “They all have things that they want to accomplish… And they are actually involved in being able to show their work,” Perino noted. “These are the things that we did.”
In stark contrast, Newsom seems increasingly eager to trade governing for grandstanding. Yes, his account has gained over 250,000 new followers since August 1st—but followers don’t fix power grids, balance budgets, or get people off the streets.
Love that every Democrats’ response is this obvious point is “what about Trump’s twitter!”
That’s the point.
Dems brand is absolute trash, there’s no leader, and the guy with the best shot is spending ALL his time doing a dime-store impression of the guy they say is Hitler. https://t.co/dno6Z8o5Lf
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) August 18, 2025
