After days of absorbing California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s masterclass in presidential-style social media mockery, Donald Trump finally cracked as he fired back with an old nickname for Newsom.
Interestingly, it wasn’t the jabs at his policies or personal life that pushed the president over the edge, but rather Newsom’s decision to drag White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt into their digital warfare and revive a particularly creative moniker.
The escalating feud between the two political heavyweights has been building for months, with Newsom adopting Trump’s all-caps posting style to mock the president across various platforms. The California governor has systematically borrowed Trump’s most recognizable social media mannerisms, from the excessive capitalization to the dramatic proclamations and self-aggrandizing declarations.
An example is when Newsom’s office wrote, in Trump-style: “DONNIE J. AND KaroLYIN’ LEAVITT WILL HAVE THEIR (LITTLE) HANDS ‘FULL’ TODAY. WHOOPS. I, GAVIN CHRISTOPHER NEWSOM, AMERICA’S FAVORITE GOVERNOR (MANY SAY), WILL HOST THE GREATEST PRESS CONFERENCE OF ALL TIME.”
Trump is known for giving obnoxious nicknames for his rivals or people he perceives as a “threat,” according to CBS. During a February 2024 speech for his presidential campaign, he referred to Gov. Gavin Newsom as “Newscum,” and criticized the governor’s handling of the southern border.
The moniker joins Trump’s infamous arsenal of digs over the years, including “Little Marco” for Marco Rubio, “Pocahontas” for Elizabeth Warren, and “Sleepy” Joe Biden.
After repeated provocative posts targeting everything from the president’s policies to his personality, Newsom crossed what appears to have been an invisible line by creating a moniker for Leavitt.
During a dispute over federal funding cuts to UCLA, Newsom’s press office challenged the 27-year-old press secretary after she promised to provide evidence supporting the administration’s actions.
“24 hours later and KaroLYING Leavitt still hasn’t sent the ‘evidence’ she promised to send. These people are LIARS!” Newsom wrote, marking the beginning of his targeted attacks on the press secretary.
24 hours later and KaroLYING Leavitt still hasn’t sent the ‘evidence’ she promised to send.
These people are LIARS! pic.twitter.com/gaqcP1YVdw
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) August 13, 2025
Trump’s response came characteristically through a late-night Truth Social post, where he fired back with his own nickname for the California governor.
“Gavin Newscum is way down in the polls,” Trump posted Wednesday evening. “He is viewed as the man who is destroying the once Great State of California. I will save California!!!”
The public response to Trump’s latest clapback has been swift and pointed, with many social media users laughing at the president for losing his composure after maintaining silence for so long.
When the Daily Beast posted on Facebook, the president’s critics noted that Newsom’s strategy has finally gotten under Trump’s skin, with one commenter noting, “He can dish it out but he sure can’t take it!”
Another person said, “Aww..man-baby can’t take being trolled? Suck it up, snowflake!”
Others have characterized the exchange as revealing Trump’s inability to handle his own tactics being used against him.
One said, “Well if Trump don’t like jokes being made about him, then maybe his dumb—s should stop being a world stage JOKE.”
Another added, “He’s a child, of course he would be bothered.”
Social media users have particularly enjoyed pointing out the apparent role reversal, with another observer writing, “Newsom is just holding a mirror up to him and maga can’t handle it.”
Behavioral experts have long pointed to Trump’s interpersonal style as indicative of bullying tendencies, with some analysts even citing his aggressive handshake technique as a method of establishing dominance in personal interactions.
The irony has not been lost on observers that Trump, often criticized for his own confrontational approach, appears rattled by Newsom’s mocking of him.
Newsom’s response to Trump’s nickname insult was characteristically brief but pointed. “Triggered?” he wrote on X, in response to Trump’s Truth Social rant.
Triggered? pic.twitter.com/3PCyeuus3o
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) August 21, 2025
The California governor has made no secret of his intentional mimicry of Trump’s social media style, explaining his approach as a deliberate attempt to highlight presidential behavior he considers inappropriate.
Mimicking Trump’s brash online tone, Newsom says it’s a calculated move to spotlight what he calls “unpresidential behavior.”
The bold tactic is turning heads and considering his latest post, it seems to be working. With no signs of slowing down, this war of words between the two heavyweights is gaining steam, fueling speculation and setting the stage for a long, fiery showdown.
In addition to Newsom’s nickname for Leavitt, Trump himself gave her another nickname weeks earlier during a conference at the White House.
“Where’s Karoline? Where’s my superstar? Karoline, is Karoline in the back? Where’s Karoline? Come here, Karoline. Come here, Karoline. Come here,” he called out, requesting she come forward near the podium in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room.
.@POTUS “Where’s @karolineleavitt? Where’s my superstar? Is this the largest crowd that you’ve ever seen?”
Karoline: “Yes… I think all of you would agree, it’s why we need to build a ballroom.”
Reporter: “Can we build a big beautiful briefing room?”
POTUS: “No. I don’t want… pic.twitter.com/TQ9Ev6h5n5
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) August 11, 2025
Trump then asked reporters, “Is she doing a good job?”
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