Former White House press secretary (George W. Bush) and current Fox News political commentator Dana Perino took California Governor Gavin Newsom to task for not being “serious” enough for the “bigger job” she believes he’s shooting for — President of the United States.
Perino says the California governor — who she concedes is already holding a “big job” — needs to cease his new X social media posting style, or else face disqualifying himself through what she labels foolishness.
Newsom, of course, has been making news posting in a style that mimics President Trump’s social media style — and the Governor responded in kind again after Perino questioned the whereabouts of his wife, implying that she could keep him from “making a fool” of himself.
“Stop it with the Twitter thing,” Perino said. “I don’t know where his wife is. If I were his wife, I would say ‘you are making a fool of yourself.'”
Perino: You have to stop at with the Twitter thing. If I were his wife, I would say you are making a fool of yourself, stop it… He's got a big job as governor of California but if he wants an even bigger job, he has to be a little more serious. pic.twitter.com/Vi8eifx4pb
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 18, 2025
Unchastened, Newsom — who has been praised on the left for trying to change up the ineffective messaging woes of Democrats in general — hit back through his press office using his satirical version of Trump-speak. The Governor decidedly did not heed the advice of Perino.
Newsom’s post began: “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’)…”
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…
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) August 19, 2025
Democrats have for years tried to figure out the formula that a certain part of the electorate uses to interpret Trump, most famously expressed in the adage that one should “take him seriously but not literally.”
That phrase effectively means that listeners are advised not to take what Trump says at face value — because, they understand, it admittedly may not be true. But at the same time, Trump flinging of insults and misinformation should not be seen as hurting his credibility — his credibility (which is why to take him “seriously”) does not correlate, in the formula, with the actual credibility of his statements.
Until recently, when Newsom started using Trump’s style directly, Democrats have been unable to crack Trump’s code, failing repeatedly to find a way to denigrate their opponents, mock and debase legitimate objections, and push out falsehoods with relative impunity.
Democrats are still stinging from the fact that former First Lady Michelle Obama‘s famous dictum — “when they go low, we go high” — did not work out, whatever its intended nobility. And liberal political advisors have been exclaiming ever since, largely in vain, that Democrats must go low instead, or at least play the same game Trump and MAGA are playing, eliding the hard facts at times — especially when they get in the way of an advantageous political narrative.
[NOTE: In homage to Trump, Vice President JD Vance said that he promoted the debunked rumor that Haitians in Ohio were “eating the cats and dogs” of their neighbors, justifying his move by saying “if I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do.”]
Newsom appears to be the first big name Democrat to effectively go all in on the strategy, and the idea that it triggers a Fox News personality like Perino is part of the goal, not a flaw in the plan.
In the attention economy — which Trump has excelled at manipulating — talking heads talking about you, kindly or not, is a win. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) can attest, as can Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) — to name just a few.
Newsom’s team is doing the culture wars with snark too, another Trump specialty — and the Governor is digging deep. It was almost a year ago that Trump posted “I hate Taylor Swift” after the singer endorsed Kamala Harris for president, a moment that remains perhaps the apotheosis of the POTUS-tweeting-like-Mean-Girls aesthetic.
This week, Newsom’s office posted, apropos of nothing, “I hate Kid Rock !!!” Rock, of course, is an avid MAGA booster and friend of Trump.
I HATE KID ROCK !!! — GCN
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) August 19, 2025
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