California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s social media team ignited a political firestorm this week after trolling President Donald Trump with an AI-generated image — and then outmaneuvering Trump’s son when he tried to clap back.
The dust-up began Wednesday when Newsom’s press office changed its profile picture on X to a doctored image of Trump’s face blended with that of Marie Antoinette, and dressed in full 18th century garb and wig, captioned: “NEW PROFILE PIC! In honor of our Queen!”
The meme was recycled from the same jab that Newsom’s office delievered earlier in the week, referring to Trump’s controversial 90,000-square-foot expansion of the White House — a $200 million project funded in part by corporate donors including Google, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Palantir, according to CBS News.
The ballroom construction has continued even as the federal government remains shut down, with Newsom’s office pointing out: “TRUMP ‘MARIE ANTOINETTE’ SAYS, ‘NO HEALTH CARE FOR YOU PEASANTS, BUT A BALLROOM FOR THE QUEEN!’”
Conservative outrage over both memes grew exponentially after Donald Trump Jr. responded Friday with a controversial remark.
“I thought you guys loved men who dress up as women?” he wrote on X.
Within hours, Newsom’s team fired back with a brutal counterpunch and resurfacing photos of prominent conservatives who have themselves dressed in drag.
“You guys sure do!” the account replied, attaching two viral images: one of Vice President JD Vance wearing a blond wig and skirt in 2011, and another of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani donning a wig and fake breasts during a 2000 comedy skit with Trump.
The Yale photo of Vance, first published by The Daily Beast in 2024, appeared to show the now–vice president socializing at a Yale Law School party with class mates, none of whom was in costume. Giuliani’s drag moment, captured at the Inner Circle Show — an annual charity roast of local officials — resurfaced in 2016 when Stephen Colbert mocked Trump’s flirtatious cameo in the clip.
The savage clapback had social media praising Newsom for once again getting it right.
“Junior tries so hard to be witty and sharp but always falls short. He just doesn’t have what it takes. He is no match for Newsom,” noted one user.
Another added with a laughing meme, “Hilarious! magaats hate it when they’re sleezy behavior is used back against them. Gavin Newsom continues to win…”
The jokes kept coming with commentors barely able to keep their composure, “LMFAO absolutely BODIED,” with another adding, “Hahahaha YES!!”
Don Jr. got the brunt of it, “MAGA ts just keep teeing it up and Newsom team drives them right down the fairway like a champ. DonJr one the dimmest bulb in the MAGA box.”
One took it a step further and created an AI video of how they imagined Trump would respond to Gavin’s post.
Newsom’s press office kept the AI image as its avatar for nearly 24 hours before reverting to the California flag — long enough to ensure that anyone visiting the page would not miss the mockery.
But Trump supporters didn’t find it funny, with many commenters on the right accusing Newsom of making a veiled threat against the former president by invoking the fate of Marie Antoinette, who was executed by guillotine in 1793.
“This is a threat to @POTUS, & @FBI should investigate Governor Newsom because we all know what happened to Marie Antoinette on October 16, 1793,” wrote X user Dan C.F., who described the earlier post as “a serious threat.”
Newsom appeared unfazed by the criticism. Hours later, his team reposted a People magazine headline reading, “White House Will Continue Construction of 90,000-Square Foot Ballroom During Government Shutdown,” and added another dig at the president:
“Crooked. Lunatic. Obsessed. With. Nonsense. (CLOWN).”
Another post followed with the caption, “IF THE PEASANTS ARE POOR, MAYBE THEY SHOULD START A REALITY SHOW LIKE OUR QUEEN! WORKED OUT BEAUTIFULLY FOR HER. NOW SHE’S RICH AND YOU LOSERS ARE ABOUT TO LOSE YOUR HEALTH CARE!”
The feud also reignited interest in the tangled personal history between Newsom and Don Jr., who was once engaged to Kimberly Guilfoyle — Newsom’s ex-wife and a former Fox News host — before their relationship ended in 2024. Newsom and Guilfoyle were married from 2001 to 2006, during his tenure as San Francisco’s mayor.
The fight over Newsom’s latest clapback follows several recent social media flare-ups between the White House and Democrats. The tense confrontations have renewed debate over whether public officials should exercise greater restraint — particularly in today’s charged political climate.
However, President Trump has only ramped up his explosive rhetoric against the left, while signing an executive order designating Antifa as a “domestic terrorist organization” and vowing to crack down on progressives while turning a blind eye to activities on the right.
Trump himself sparked outrage last week by posting a deepfake video on Truth Social depicting House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries in a sombrero with a handlebar mustache, moments after a tense Oval Office meeting that failed to avert a government shutdown.
Despite GOP efforts to blame Democrats, many observers noted that Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress, while the back-and-forth mockery on social media has drowned out the seriousness of the budget impasse.
