Newsom and Trump Trade Barbs in Ongoing Public Feud

California Governor Gavin Newsom engaged in a public exchange with former President Donald Trump on Wednesday, following Trump's criticism of Newsom's leadership. The former president labeled the governor "incompetent" and threatened to redeploy the National Guard to California. This exchange continued a summer-long series of public disagreements between the two.

The tension between Newsom and Trump escalated after Trump deployed approximately 4,000 National Guard members and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles in June, following protests. Trump has since criticized Newsom's handling of the protests, claiming the governor would soon need federal assistance again.

Newsom responded to Trump's attacks with a series of retorts, including a post on social media that included a photo of troops sleeping on the floor during their deployment. Newsom had previously sued the administration over the National Guard deployment, which he opposed.

Newsom, considered a potential Democratic presidential candidate, has been using humor to counter Trump's criticisms. He has mocked Trump's health and repeated false claims about California's water management policies during the Pacific Palisades fires.

In response to Trump's comments, Newsom shared a post that questioned whether people with dementia repeat the same falsehoods. He also shared a montage of Trump's gaffes. Newsom has adopted Trump's social media style, using all-caps and insults.

Trump responded to Newsom's taunts by criticizing the governor's popularity and claiming he was destroying California. Newsom's team responded by sending "Newsom 2026" mugs and "Newsom was right about everything!" hats.