California Governor Gavin Newsom has become a viral sensation on social media by using memes and pop culture references to criticize President Donald Trump, with Taylor Swift’s music serving as the soundtrack to his latest political trolling campaign amid ongoing tensions over immigration enforcement in Los Angeles.
On June 10, 2025, Newsom posted a TikTok video featuring Swift’s hit song “You Need to Calm Down” alongside photos of himself and Trump. The slideshow highlighted specific lyrics from the track, including “Say it in the street, that’s a knock-out … But you say it in a tweet, that’s a cop-out … And I’m just like, ‘Hey, are you okay?'” The post was captioned “America’s keyboard warrior,” directly targeting Trump’s frequent use of his Truth Social platform.
The timing of Newsom’s social media offensive coincided with escalating tensions between federal immigration officials and California political leaders following demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations across Los Angeles. The protests began Friday, June 6, 2025, in response to Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement policies and ongoing ICE raids throughout the city.
Trump deployed thousands of National Guard troops to respond to the public protests in Los Angeles, and also called in Marines to address the civil unrest. This federal intervention prompted California to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration, with Judge Charles Breyer of the Federal District Court in San Francisco ultimately ruling that Trump’s actions violated the Tenth Amendment.
Following the court ruling, Newsom celebrated on TikTok with another meme-based post set to Nicki Minaj’s “Itty Bitty Piggy,” telling the president “you lose.” The governor’s social media strategy has drawn widespread attention, with internet users calling for his social media manager to receive a raise for the creative content.
Newsom’s digital campaign extends beyond his official governor account to his personal TikTok profile, where he has posted additional meme-laden messages targeting Trump. One post featured a Photoshopped image of Trump wearing a crown with the caption “Send in the troops,” concluding with a shot from the musical Hamilton accompanied by text reading about democracy being under assault.
The online confrontation has significantly boosted Newsom’s social media presence, with his personal TikTok account gaining approximately 397,000 followers and his official governor account adding 479,000 followers since Friday, June 6. The Taylor Swift post alone amassed over 5.4 million views, drawing praise from both political observers and Swift fans.
Political analysts note that Newsom appears to be following the social media playbook pioneered by former Vice President Kamala Harris during her 2024 presidential campaign. Harris successfully used platforms like TikTok and rapid-response social media accounts to expand her reach through memes and trending sounds, including the viral “brat summer” phenomenon and coconut tree trend.
The California governor has also embraced other digital media strategies, recently launching a podcast to connect with voters. However, his attempts to engage with guests from across the political spectrum, including figures like Steve Bannon, have received mixed reactions from both supporters and critics.
Newsom’s use of Swift’s music is particularly notable given the ongoing political tensions between Trump and the pop superstar. Swift has been a frequent target of Trump’s criticism, and her song “You Need to Calm Down” was originally released as an LGBTQ+ anthem, adding another layer of symbolism to Newsom’s political messaging.
The governor’s confrontational approach has included direct challenges to federal authority, with Newsom publicly daring Trump to arrest him amid the ongoing protests and legal battles over National Guard deployment. This defiant stance has resonated with many California residents and Democratic supporters who view Newsom as standing up to what they perceive as federal overreach.
Social media users have responded enthusiastically to Newsom’s meme-based political strategy, with one TikTok commenter writing that they nearly fell over when realizing the posts came from the governor’s official page. Another user praised the combination of “Taylor, Gavin, and the First Amendment” as an effective trio for political messaging.
The effectiveness of meme-based political campaigns remains debated among political strategists, particularly following the 2024 election results that showed online popularity does not always translate to electoral success. However, Newsom’s current approach demonstrates how politicians are increasingly using pop culture and humor to bypass traditional media and communicate directly with the public through social media platforms.
