President Donald Trump has spent years turning political insults into a personal brand.
From mocking his opponents’ appearances to inventing nicknames that sound like playground taunts, the president rarely misses an opportunity to take a cheap shot.
But his latest attempt to rewrite his reputation has one of his biggest political enemies reaching for the receipts.
Trump’s propensity for dishing out insults has become so predictable that his critics barely have to wait for the next one.
What makes his latest claim even more remarkable is that he apparently expected everyone to forget the countless times he has publicly humiliated his political rivals.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has made a sport of exposing Trump’s contradictions.
The two have traded insults for over a year, with the Democrat’s press office frequently turning the president’s own words into embarrassing social media moments.
Trump has even christened his rival “Gavin Newscum,” proving that their feud is anything but presidential.
Now Newsom’s team has caught Trump in another spectacular case of double talk.
This time, the president appeared determined to convince Americans that his approach to politics is far more diplomatic than his critics suggest. Unfortunately for Trump, his own mouth refused to cooperate.
During an Oct. 14 interview with Gray Media correspondent Jon Decker, Trump offered an interesting explanation for how he handles people he needs to negotiate with.
“Look, I have to make deals with people. So I don’t go around calling them names. I’m a deal-maker, I’ve always been a very good deal-maker, ” Trump declared. “I became very rich because of deals. So I don’t go around mocking people.”
That newfound restraint lasted approximately one hour.
While campaigning in Arizona, Trump turned his attention to Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs. “Katie Hobbs—she is a dumb person. I don’t give a damn,” he announced.
Newsom’s press office promptly posted screenshots of both clips side by side on Threads, exposing the remarkable turnaround.
“Took 1 hour for the President to do the opposite of what he said … new record?” the account mocked.
The internet needed little encouragement.
“He doesn’t even know what he’s saying from one minute to the next,” one Threads user wrote. Another observed, “An hour? He does it in the same breath: ‘I never attacked him on his look, and believe me, there’s plenty of subject matter right there.’”
X users were equally amused.
One person said, “… yall he truly has lost his damn mind we can play HOURS of footage of him mocking people.” Someone else noted, “Calling people names is all he does and it’s usually caught on camera.”
One critic offered a simple suggestion: “Run the tape.”
And the tape stretches back months.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker also became the target of a joke after Trump labeled him a “big fat slob” during a Thanksgiving ceremony in 2025.
In July of this year, Trump called Sen. Adam Schiff “watermelon head” and “pencil neck,” while referencing his “fat, ugly head.”
In August, Trump had described New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman as an “unattractive person both inside and out” on Truth Social.
October brought another round of attacks. Fox News personality Jessica Tarlov was branded a “loser,” while New York Attorney General Letitia James faced particularly vicious remarks.
Trump called James “that disgusting Leticia dog” on Oct. 9. Days later, he labeled her a “DIRTY AND DISGUSTING COP.” His insults have even overshadowed solemn occasions.
During a September ceremony honoring 9/11 victims and first responders, Trump recounted an unverified story about firefighters carrying him to safety near the World Trade Center.
“I’m not the smallest guy in the world,” he acknowledged, an interesting admission from someone who regularly mocks other people’s weight.
Trump has also repeatedly called Democrats “Dumocrats,” explaining his spelling invention during a May interview with Lara Trump.
Newsom’s office responded with its own vocabulary lesson: “Idiot ends with a T, but most people don’t know that. (The ‘T’ stands for Trump).”
For someone who claims he doesn’t mock people, Trump has certainly accumulated an impressive collection of insults.
And Newsom apparently intends to keep every receipt.
View on Threads
