Gavin Newsom defends press team's troll tweeting Trump
Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., was asked about his social media team's provocative posting style at the New York Times Dealbook Summit held on Wednesday.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom trolled President Donald Trump's administration by posting an AI-generated video depicting Trump, War Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House deputy chief of staff for policy and Homeland Security advisor Stephen Miller, in handcuffs.
"It's CUFFING Season," reads text that briefly appears in the video.
The Democratic governor shared the video when reposting a White House post that read, "WE HEARD IT'S CUFFING SZN." The post included the chains emoji and added, "Bad news for criminal illegal aliens. Great news for America."
The post featured a video, apparently depicting law enforcement activity — text that briefly appears in the video declares, "IT'S CUFFING SEASON."
GAVIN NEWSOM DEFENDS TRUMP-STYLE TROLL TWEETING, SAYING HE DOES IT TO ‘WAKE EVERYBODY UP’
Left: California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks onstage during the Clinton Global Initiative 2025 Annual Meeting at New York Hilton Midtown on September 24, 2025 in New York City; Right: President Donald Trump speaks to the press aboard Air Force One en-route to Washington, D.C. on November 30, 2025. (Left: JP Yim/Getty Images for Clinton Global Initiative; Right: Pete Marovich/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom's office and to the White House for comment.
The social media exchange came as the Trump administration has been engaged in a crackdown against illegal immigration.
Vice President JD Vance (L), Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (C) and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller react to protesters as they leave after greetings members of the National Guard stationed at Union Station in Washington, D.C., Aug. 20, 2025. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump's senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, Peter Navarro, scolded Newsom.
"I went to prison, defending the constitution because of woke a[--]holes like you who Weaponized our justice system. This isn’t close to funny. All you are doing is inciting more violence," he asserted.
NEWSOM CALLS HOMELESSNESS AND POVERTY ‘POSTER CHILD’ OF CALIFORNIA'S FAILURES AS A STATE
Peter Navarro, White House senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, during a television interview at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Monday, July 7, 2025. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Newsom responded with a snowflake emoji when reposting Navarro's comments.
More from Politics
Fox News Politics
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.
