It’s always something stupid, isn’t it?
The first example that springs to mind is our 42nd president: Say what you want about Bill Clinton, but the “man from Hope” certainly wasn’t a dummy. Included amongst his (many) character flaws were all seven deadly sins, but it’s worth noting stupidity’s absence.
Bill Clinton became the third-youngest president in history, in large part because he was a crafty, clever dude. He might’ve been just plain white trash, but he was also born with a winning lottery ticket in his head: His extraordinary intellectual gifts elevated him from poverty — and led him straight to the White House.
And then, with Monica Lewinsky, he destroyed his legacy the stupidest way possible.
That’s the cliché: Intelligent men destroying their careers in spectacularly stupid ways! It’s the historic norm, too. More often than not, what greases the wheels of an intelligent man’s downfall isn’t the unravelling of a complex, elaborate plot with multitudes of moving parts.
Instead, it’s something stupid. (Like, y’know, getting caught in the Oval Office with a 20-year-old intern.)
So it’s not at all unexpected that another Democratic governor with presidential aspirations would — metaphorically — cut his own throat, seeding his own demise via pure, unadulterated stupidity.
Because it just happened again this week.
Gavin Newsom might not be Bill Clinton’s intellectual equal, but don’t dismiss the California governor as a dim bulb: He’s absolutely, 100% bright enough to handle the “intellectual rigors” of the presidency. (Such as they are.) He looks the part, sounds the part, and is brimming with ambition. According to the latest polls, his stance in the Great Gerrymander War of 2025 has propelled him to the top of the 2028 Democratic short list.
Finally, at long last, he’s in the driver’s seat for his party’s presidential nomination!
Newsom didn’t get this far by accident. It’s all a byproduct of calculated, targeted decisions, stances, and tactics.
Like I said, he’s not a dim bulb.
And among those tactics was mimicking President Donald Trump’s tone and style on social media. Liberals loved it! To them, Newsom was “fighting fire with fire,” turning the screws on the Troller-in-Chief. The mainstream media showered him with praise:
The Hill: Newsom’s Trump act wins raves from Democrats
Politico: How Gavin Newsom trolled his way to the top of social media
The Independent: Gavin Newsom is expertly trolling Fox News stars by mimicking Trump online — right down to the nicknames
Yahoo: Gov. Newsom takes a page from Trump’s playbook
Esquire: Gavin Newsom Is Going Full Trump-Mode, but It’s Actually a Good Thing
The Hill: Swalwell: Newsom mimicking Trump social media style ‘a teaching moment’
Huffpost: Gavin Newsom Is Talking Like Trump — And It’s Infuriating The Right
Fast Company: Gavin Newsom’s Trump trolling is working. Here’s how we know
Newsweek: Gavin Newsom Gets Major Polling Boost After Trolling Onslaught of Trump
In Newsom’s mind, he was pulling a page from — of all things — the Gospel of Rush Limbaugh: Illustrating absurdity by being absurd. Posting on X in all-caps and acting like a manic weirdo was Newsom’s attempt to hold a mirror to President Trump.
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…
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) August 12, 2025
DONALD IS FINISHED — HE IS NO LONGER “HOT.” FIRST THE HANDS (SO TINY) AND NOW ME — GAVIN C. NEWSOM — HAVE TAKEN AWAY HIS “STEP.” MANY ARE SAYING HE CAN’T EVEN DO THE “BIG STAIRS” ON AIR FORCE ONE ANYMORE — USES THE LITTLE BABY STAIRS NOW. SAD! TOMORROW HE’S GOT HIS “MEETING” WITH…
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) August 15, 2025
But there’s an enormous difference between imitators and originals: The former is performative and surface-level; the latter is the genuine article. One is anchored to something firm and real; the other conflates style with substance.
“I’ll tell you a little secret about the blues,” said George Carlin. “It’s not enough to know which notes to play. You’ve got to know why they needed to be played.”
Same applies to social media. Because otherwise, it’s just noise — and at some point, your 29-year-old, blue-haired social media guru (who majored in cultural anthropology, because of course she did) would overstep in a ham-handed attempt at “trolling” comedy.
Which is exactly what happened on Aug. 20, when Bed Bath & Beyond announced that they had abandoned plans to do business in California:
🚨 BREAKING: In another stunning embarrassment for Gavin Newsom, the Chairman of Bed Bath & Beyond announces they will NOT open any retail stores in California.
“We’re taking a stand because it’s time for common sense.”
The reasoning:
– High taxes
– High fees
– Forced,… pic.twitter.com/QxE6Rr0rSE— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 20, 2025
The smartest path for Newsom’s team would’ve been to ignore the announcement. After all, they want to keep the focus on the dogfight between Trump and Newsom; focusing on California’s economic malaise, crime, and statewide failures is counterproductive.
When Newsom talks about Trump, he wins. When he talks about his record, he loses.
But if they were to say anything at all, they absolutely couldn’t make it sound like they don’t give a damn about out-of-work people! Because, that’s EXACTLY the kind of stupid statement that will be weaponized against you in a general election.
So naturally:
After their bankruptcy and closure of every store, like most Americans, we thought Bed, Bath & Beyond no longer existed.
We wish them well in their efforts to become relevant again as they try to open a 2nd store. https://t.co/jJt6i5icEx
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) August 20, 2025
The company that already went bankrupt and closed every store across the country two years ago? Ok. https://t.co/lW43NTBeEc
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) August 20, 2025
Only a blue-haired, 29-year-old liberal would post something like that. Within her social group, I’m sure it sounded snarky, clever, and witty — like something they giggle and imagine a (leftwing) Trump might say.
But to anyone who’s ever been fired, lost their job, or suffered through the agony of a bankruptcy, it sure sounds as if Gov. Gavin Newsom not only doesn’t give a [expletive]… but he’s actually mocking you.
HIS policies drove the company out of business, and HE thinks that’s totally “Ok”?!
I promise you, should Newsom capture the Democratic nomination, those X posts will be republished a zillion times. They’ll be featured in attack ads. They’ll be used to illustrate Newsom’s utter indifference to the devastating effects of his economic policies.
It’ll be an albatross around his neck.
Newsom will try to laugh it off. He’ll accuse his critics of being snowflakes who can’t take a joke. And when that doesn’t work, he’ll complain about a double standard: “President Trump says mean things all the time!”
But the thing is, the target of Trump’s humor is almost always the elite: pampered, privileged celebrities, public institutions, members of the media, or powerful politicians. He’s always fighting (and always tweeting) on behalf of the little guy.
That’s not what Newsom did. He mocked and minimized the suffering of out-of-work Americans.
He doesn’t realize it yet, but he just cut his own throat.
Gov. Newsom governed over a state that literally caught on fire, was mired in riots, lost 1.4 million residents between 2020 and 2024, and is overwrought with crime, violence, drugs, and public defecation. But none of that stuff is gonna doom his 2028 presidential bid!
Instead, his downfall will come from something stupid: his social media feed.
Ain’t that the way?
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