California Gov. Gavin Newsom responded to Donald Trump’s latest over-the-top accusations by flipping the charge back on the administration itself, a move that quickly escalated into a messy social media clash that has since ensnared Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Medicare chief Dr. Mehmet Oz.
Trump may have come for Newsom, but the fallout dragged his Cabinet officials through the proverbial mud.
Over the past several weeks, Newsom’s press office and personal accounts have steadily sharpened the attacks, framing Trump’s allies as both reckless and hypocritical while daring critics to explain why accusations only seem to flow one way.
The strategy burst into the open on social media this past week when Newsom’s press office zeroed in on Noem. In a series of posts on X, Newsom’s team resurfaced high-profile fraud cases from South Dakota during Noem’s tenure as governor.
“Significant fraud in Kristi Noem’s South Dakota,” the account wrote, attaching a screenshot of a February 2020 Associated Press headline: “South Dakota man indicted in $71 million organics fraud.”
That case involved Kent Duane Anderson, a Rapid City businessman later sentenced to more than four years in prison for wire fraud and money laundering tied to counterfeit organic grain and seed sales, according to MSN.
View on Threads
Another post followed: “Did we all miss the fraud in Kristi Noem’s South Dakota?” Newsom’s press office wrote, paired with a 2024 KTIV headline about former South Dakota Department of Revenue employees Lynne Hunsley and Danielle Degenstein being indicted on fraud-related charges. Both later pleaded guilty and received probation and fines.
Newsom amplified both cases again on Threads, writing, “Just catching up on all the fraud in Kristi Noem’s South Dakota,” above another headline that said, “Former state employee accused of stealing $1.8 million from Child Protection Services.” One commenter summed up the moment in a single word: “Oooooof.”
The renewed focus on Noem comes after Newsom last month publicly called for her resignation following two shootings involving federal authorities. In one of those incidents, 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed by an ICE officer in Minneapolis. A day later, Border Patrol agents shot and wounded two people in Portland, Oregon.
“Kristi Noem should resign – before more Americans are killed,” Newsom’s press office wrote in a post on X. “She needs to be held to account.”
More than two weeks later, another fatal encounter with federal agents unfolded when 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti was shot and killed by Border Patrol officers during a protest, a confrontation that has sparked a federal civil rights investigation and national outrage.
While that fight simmered, Newsom went for the jugular. As Trump accused California of “massive fraud,” the governor launched a public tracker cataloging Trump’s clemency decisions, highlighting pardons and commutations for multiple people convicted of financial crimes. The list includes cases involving fraud, tax evasion, campaign finance violations, and public corruption.
“Donald Trump is the personification of fraud,” Newsom said in a statement. “His hypocrisy knows no bounds.”
That message dovetailed with California’s recent court victory after the Trump administration froze more than $10 billion in federal funding for child care and family assistance programs. A federal judge paused the move within 24 hours, undercutting the administration’s claim that fraud concerns justified the freeze.
Then came Dr. Oz.
In late January, Newsom filed a civil rights complaint against Oz, now the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, over a video alleging hospice fraud in Los Angeles. Filmed outside an Armenian bakery, the Turkish-American Oz claimed billions in fraud and said “quite a bit of it” involved “the Russian Armenian mafia.”
“Mafia? There is no Armenian mafia going on here. We’re just hardworking business owners. I don’t understand why he’s mentioning just Armenians,” bakery owner Movses Bislamyan said, according to The Associated Press.
Oz accused Newsom of dodging the issue. “The problem isn’t isolated to California, though as far as our team can tell, it is the worst,” Oz alleged, without providing details.
Newsom responded by pointing to years of enforcement actions, including a 2021 ban on new hospice licenses and the revocation of more than 280 licenses.
View on Threads
“We’ve identified and cracked down on hospice fraud for years, taking real action to protect patients and taxpayers,” Newsom said.
On social media, the fight turned into a free-for-all. MAGA-aligned users flooded Newsom’s X post with attacks when the governor asked, “Did we all miss the fraud in Kristi Noem’s South Dakota?”
“No, we are focused on all your fraud and the fire victims you stole from,” one person responded.
Another added: “No, but you certainly overlooked the BILLIONS in fraud happening in your own State, Gavin. Would you care to elaborate on how that could occur, since your so interested in fraud all of a sudden? Does it have anything to do with the fact that Secretary Bessent his heading to California next, and this is just your feeble attempt to deflect attention?”
Others accused Newsom of ignoring fraud in his own state.
“Gavy, did you forget you are governor of CALIFORNIA. Ya might wanna look around. Read the room a lil bit. You have quite a bit of a problem in your own yard.”
Progressives fired back just as hard.
“Why has Kristi Noem’s net worth increased by $40 million in the last few months? This needs to be investigated.”
Another added: “She should be in jail.”
“Hey that’s not cool Gavin! You have to have a criminal background to be a part of Trump’s administration.”
