As 2025 drew to a close, California Governor Gavin Newsom unleashed a torrent of criticism aimed directly at former President Donald Trump, setting a combative tone for the coming political year. The Democratic governor, a frequent critic of Trump, used his New Year's Eve message to deliver a scathing recap of the former president's record and character.
A Blistering New Year's Eve Broadside
On the final evening of the year, Governor Newsom took to the social media platform X to issue a stark warning. "THERE IS A VERY SPECIAL PLACE WAITING FOR HIM (EVERYONE KNOWS WHERE) AND IT'S NOT MAR-A-LAGO!" he and his press office declared in a post that quickly garnered widespread attention. This message was part of a longer, highly personal critique in which Newsom labeled far-right supporters as "deeply disturbed losers" and catalogued a series of grievances against Trump.
The governor's post accused Trump of a litany of failures and harmful actions. "We will never forgive him for marching soldiers into our beautiful cities, raising taxes so he can give your money to his rich friends, his stupid tariffs, ripping babies away from their mothers, throwing grandmas off their healthcare, promising aid for the people of Los Angeles to rebuild homes and then vanishing," Newsom wrote. He concluded with a harsh personal assessment: "He is a total fraud, total coward, and total loser!"
The Strategy Behind the Social Media Attacks
This incident is not an isolated one. For months, Newsom and his communications team have engaged in a deliberate campaign of trolling Trump and his MAGA supporters online, often adopting a style that mirrors Trump's own bombastic social media presence. This strategy has, at times, successfully provoked public reactions from the former president.
Newsom, who is openly considering a run for the White House in 2028, has explained that there is a calculated purpose behind these confrontational posts. At a news conference in the summer of 2025, he framed his actions as holding up a mirror to Trump's behaviour. "We're putting a mirror up to the lunacy that is Trump's tweets, and his grift, the madness that is someone that would dress up as the pope and tweet that out or put his face up there on Mount Rushmore, or in a Superman costume," Newsom stated, referencing actual past actions by Trump.
He argued for the importance of this tactic, questioning the normalization of such conduct. "So I do think it's important to put that mirror, that lens, back and have everyone reflect on it and say, 'Have we accepted this as normal? Why aren't we calling this out more clearly?'" This approach suggests that Newsom's social media activity is a foundational element of his national political strategy, using digital engagement to define contrasts and rally a base.
Political Implications for 2028
The year-end salvo underscores Newsom's positioning as a leading Democratic voice willing to directly and aggressively challenge Trump and Trumpism. By choosing New Year's Eve for such a high-profile attack, he ensured his message would dominate political conversation at a symbolic moment, effectively framing the political battlelines as the calendar turned. This move solidifies his role as a chief antagonist to the former president and provides a clear signal to Democratic primary voters about the kind of campaign he might wage should he formally enter the 2028 presidential race. The ongoing social media feud serves as both political theatre and a strategic tool, allowing Newsom to build a national profile and test messages that resonate with the party's base.
