Fox News has usually embraced the Trumpian approach to social media, characterized by its all-caps posts, multiple exclamation points, and hyperbolic self-praise.
However, this week, the network’s hosts expressed unanticipated discontent, directing their ire at a Democrat—California Governor Gavin Newsom.
To many on Fox, including host Dana Perino, Newsom’s social media antics came off as childish.
Perino stated on the show, “You have to stop it with the Twitter thing,” while Sean Hannity lamented the “performative confrontational style,” which he believed only “wins you points with the loony radical base.”
Trace Gallagher, another Fox anchor, called the tone of Newsom’s posts “childish.”
The source of their dismay? Newsom has been adopting a similar low-bar social media style employed by President Donald Trump, using humor and parody to criticize Republican leaders such as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Senator Ted Cruz.
Newsom’s press office has gone after Noem by nicknaming her “Commander Cosplay” and called Cruz “Cancun Cruz,” referring to his infamous trip to Mexico during a severe winter storm in Texas.
Additionally, the governor has poked fun at President Donald Trump, labeling him “Small Hands.”
By adopting Trump’s social media tactics, Newsom’s office has generated a plethora of memes, including doctored images displaying his face on Mount Rushmore and suggesting he’s a messiah-like figure.
On Fox News’ “The Five,” Perino expressed disbelief, asking, “I don’t know where his wife is? If I were his wife I would say, ‘You’re making a fool of yourself, stop it!’”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis weighed in during a discussion on Fox with Jesse Watters, criticizing Newsom for focusing on Trump instead of his responsibilities as a governor.
“Why is he spending all this time trying to be fresh with President Trump?” DeSantis asked. “Why doesn’t he do his job and protect the people?”
Newsom’s press office quickly responded to DeSantis’s comments with a tweet, stating, “Jesse, please stop calling me Daddy. It’s disturbing.”
Despite Fox News’ claims that Newsom’s social media strategy is failing, analytics suggest otherwise, with the governor’s account gaining 250,000 followers and over 225 million impressions since early August.
Fox hosts can’t seem to stop discussing Newsom, who cheekily remarked on X, “WOW! FOX NEWS CAN’T STOP TALKING ABOUT ME (GAVIN C. NEWSOM), AMERICA’S FAVORITE GOVERNOR!!!”
He continued, “TONIGHT THEIR ENTIRE PRIMETIME LINEUP WAS ABOUT ME! JESSE WATTERS KEPT CALLING ME ‘DADDY’ (VERY WEIRD, NOT INTERESTED, BUT THANK YOU!). SEAN HANNITY (VERY NICE GUY) NEARLY CRIED BECAUSE I WON’T TAKE HIS ‘ADVICE.’ SORRY SEAN!!!! THEN THEY DRAGGED OUT THE B-TEAM OF DUMB DUMBS: ‘MEATBALL RON,’ TOMI ‘TOILET’ LAHREN, AND TEDDY ‘CANCUN’ CRUZ (HE EVEN FLEW BACK SPECIAL FROM MEXICO!) ALL WHINING ABOUT ME, GCN! THEY HAD TO ‘PLAY THE MUSIC’ TO SHUT TED UP ABOUT MY BEAUTIFUL HAIR (I GET IT! SO JEALOUS!). TOTAL DISASTER…”
Even Steve Bannon, a prominent figure in MAGA circles, has recognized Newsom’s effort to emulate Trump’s confrontational style, stating that Newsom appears to be the only Democrat showing signs of actively engaging in political battles.
Bannon noted, “If you look at the Democratic Party, he’s at least getting up there, and he’s trying to imitate a Trumpian vision of fighting, right?”
In contrast, Fox pundits have shifted the narrative to blame Newsom and California’s policies for a recent traffic accident in Florida caused by an undocumented truck driver, rather than addressing his successful political initiatives.
They would rather divert attention from Newsom’s legislative victories, such as a recently approved measure to redraw California’s electoral map in response to Republican efforts in Texas.
In a sarcastic post, the Newsom press office remarked, “NOT EVEN JD ‘JUST DANCE’ VANCE CAN SAVE TRUMP FROM THE DISASTROUS MAPS ‘WAR’ HE HAS STARTED.”
The post further stated, “NOT EVEN HIS EYELINER LINES LOOK AS PRETTY AS CALIFORNIA ‘MAP’ LINES. HE WILL FAIL, AS HE ALWAYS DOES (SAD!) AND I, THE PEACETIME GOVERNOR — OUR NATION’S FAVORITE — WILL SAVE AMERICA ONCE AGAIN. MANY ARE NOW CALLING ME GAVIN CHRISTOPHER ‘COLUMBUS’ NEWSOM (BECAUSE OF THE MAPS!). THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER. — GCN”
This situation seems to have stirred considerable emotions within the Fox News team.
While they express discomfort with Newsom’s approach, it’s clear that his provocative posts have captured significant attention across the political landscape.
As Newsom noted recently, if the mockery irritates some, then they should reconsider the source of inspiration.
“If you have issues with what I’m putting out, you sure as hell should have concerns with what he’s putting out as president,” he stated.
image source from：latimes
