For years, President Donald Trump has leaned on all-caps social media posts to grab attention online. His Truth Social feed often reads like a never-ending shouting match. However, that changed after Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) began mocking the president’s style in dozens of posts interspersed among his regular missives.
This has been going on for the better part of a week, and seems to have gotten to Trump's ego, as his latest Truth Social posts aren't in his classic all-caps style.
The shift came as redistricting battles heated up nationwide. Republicans in Texas attempted to push through a mid-decade redistricting map that could add up to five new GOP seats in the House. Meanwhile, Democrats threatened countermeasures in their own states. Newsom escalated things by turning Trump’s favorite online weapon against him.
What happened between Trump and Newsom?
Newsom blasted out parody messages that looked and sounded like a Trump rant. In his posts, he branded the president "DONALD 'TACO' TRUMP," a dig tied to Trump’s habit of missing tariff deadlines that stands for "Trump Always Chickens Out."
The governor warned that California might redraw its map if Trump kept backing Texas Republicans. He accused Trump of "playing with fire" and destabilizing democracy. Importantly, Newsom also pointed to his authority to call a special election so voters could weigh in on a California ballot measure.
Imitating Trump's way of writing, Newsom tweeted on Aug 13, "DONALD 'TACO' TRUMP, AS MANY CALL HIM, 'MISSED' THE DEADLINE!!! CALIFORNIA WILL NOW DRAW NEW, MORE 'BEAUTIFUL MAPS,' THEY WILL BE HISTORIC AS THEY WILL END THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY (DEMS TAKE BACK THE HOUSE!). BIG PRESS CONFERENCE THIS WEEK WITH POWERFUL DEMS AND GAVIN NEWSOM — YOUR FAVORITE GOVERNOR — THAT WILL BE DEVASTATING FOR 'MAGA.' THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER! — GN."
His post racked up more than 6.3 million views and earned widespread attention. It even borrowed Trump’s signature tone: exaggerated capitalization, boasts about "beautiful maps" and "taking back the house," as well as the classic send-off of "Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
It didn't take long before Trump noticeably toned down his signature posting style. His latest Truth Social messages appeared almost calm by comparison. In one post from Trump's Truth Social account, he posted simply, "Bela." Newsom's account jumped at the opportunity, tweeting, "WE BROKE DONALD TRUMP" along with a screenshot of the post.
In response to one of Trump's lengthy, uncapitalized posts about Putin, Newsom posted, "WOW! Very few all caps (low energy!)"
Reactions on X to Trump’s sudden change
On X, many users joked about Trump losing his caps-lock confidence. One post claimed, "Yes, Newsom’s all-caps posts are getting annoying. That’s the precise point. He’s proving how childish and exhausting Trump’s posts are. But, more than anything, it’s stifling Dumpy’s own reputation for all-caps posting. Another FOX paradox. Hilarity to ensue…"
Others argued that Newsom had cracked Trump’s online persona by exposing it as easy parody.
Another user shared the realization that "I just realized Trump can't post his childish shit anymore without sounding like @GavinNewsom's prank posts."
So far, there are no signs of Newsom stopping anytime soon.
The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s newsletter here.
