California Governor Gavin Newsom escalated his ongoing political warfare against President Donald Trump on August 25, 2025, mocking the president’s relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un through a pointed social media post that drew immediate attention from both supporters and critics.
The confrontation began after the Department of Labor promoted a photo showing a massive banner draped over the Frances Perkins Building in Washington, D.C., featuring a scowling Trump next to the words “AMERICAN WORKERS FIRST,” positioned alongside a similar image of Theodore Roosevelt.
Newsom responded with characteristic sarcasm, posting “THANK YOU, GLORIOUS LEADER!” above a photograph of a large mural of former North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il installed in Pyongyang. The timing proved particularly pointed, as Trump had earlier that day boasted about his relationship with current North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un during meetings in the Oval Office.
During a Monday meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, Trump expressed enthusiasm about reconnecting with the North Korean leader. Trump indicated he looks forward to seeing Kim Jong Un and claimed to know him better than almost anyone, pausing before adding that Kim’s sister might know him better. The president emphasized his desire to meet with the dictator again, stating he believed Kim would also like another meeting.
Trump’s comments came after Lee noted that North Korea had further developed its nuclear and missile capabilities during the four years Trump was out of office. When Lee expressed hope that Trump would usher in a new era of peace on the Korean Peninsula, Trump committed to facilitating talks between the nations.
In a particularly revealing moment captured on video, Trump stated: “I spent a lot of free time with him talking about things that we probably aren’t supposed to talk about.” The president described his relationship with Kim Jong Un as great and claimed to understand the North Korean leader well.
This latest exchange represents part of Newsom’s broader campaign of political trolling that has intensified throughout the summer of 2025. The California governor has developed a systematic approach to needling Trump through AI-generated memes, sardonic social media posts, and Trump-style merchandise designed to provoke reactions from the president and his allies.
Newsom’s strategy has proven effective at drawing responses from Fox News personalities and Trump himself. The governor has launched his own “Patriot Shop” selling items including a $100 Bible (humorously labeled “sold out”) that mirrors Trump’s religious merchandise ventures, a “Newsom was Right About Everything” hat, and T-shirts featuring satirical imagery.
Fox News host Will Cain expressed particular frustration with Newsom’s tactics on August 26, criticizing the governor for copying Trump’s style and merchandise approach. Cain described Newsom’s personality as merely a shadow and accused him of being a xerox copy of others, though he acknowledged the strategy works with left-leaning audiences.
The authoritarian comparison theme has appeared repeatedly in Newsom’s criticism of Trump. In June 2025, after Trump sent 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles to address anti-ICE protests, Newsom accused the president of acting like a dictator rather than a president, citing incitement of violence, creation of mass chaos, militarization of cities, and arrests of opponents.
Trump has taken notice of Newsom’s provocations, claiming on Truth Social that the California governor is “way down in the polls” and describing him as the man destroying California. Trump declared his intention to save the state, prompting Newsom’s press office to respond with three snowflake emojis.
“Snowflake” is a derogatory term often used by conservatives to mock liberals, implying they are overly sensitive, fragile, or easily offended. When Newsom or his press office responds to Trump with snowflake emojis, he is flipping the insult back—suggesting that Trump himself is the fragile one, easily triggered by criticism. The use of the emojis fits into Newsom’s broader trolling strategy, in which he adopts Trump’s own rhetoric and style, including nicknames, memes, merchandise, and emojis, to provoke a reaction and rally supporters.
The exchange highlights the ongoing political tensions between Trump’s administration and Democratic governors, particularly those with national ambitions. Newsom’s trolling campaign has drawn criticism from multiple Fox News hosts, with Dana Perino suffering what observers called a double meltdown over the governor’s tactics, while Sean Hannity bemoaned the “performative confrontational style.”