“Fuck around” and “find out,” read a TikTok post that followed a screenshot announcing that California is suing President Donald Trump for deploying the National Guard to the streets of Los Angeles.
But the post wasn’t shared by a typical meme account—it came from California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“I damn near fell over when I realized this was Gov. Newsom’s page,” one user commented.
Since Friday, demonstrations have erupted across Los Angeles in protest of the president’s immigration policies and the ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.
Although many of the demonstrations have remained peaceful, there have been violent incidents including authorities deploying tear gas and rubber bullets, and protestors setting Waymo vehicles ablaze throughout the city.
As tensions escalated, the Trump administration deployed the National Guard and Marines—despite objections from local officials—sparking a lawsuit from the state, threats of arrest against Newsom, and a surge of defiant memes.
“And remember, kids, the next time anybody tells you ‘the government wouldn’t do that’ . . . oh yes they would,” says the popular TikTok sound used on Newsom’s official account video, playing over screenshots of news headlines and images of armed forces confronting demonstrators.
In another viral video from the governor’s page, which amassed over 5.4 million views, Taylor Swift’s “You Need to Calm Down” plays over a series of photos of the two politicians. “r u ok?” the post asks, with a caption reading: “America’s keyboard warrior.”
Newsom’s clapback drew widespread praise in the comments. “I do disagree with Newsom a lot, but him standing up to tyranny and standing with your state takes some serious guts. Hats off to you Newsom,” wrote one user.
Newsom has also taken to his personal account to deliver meme-laced messages to Trump—one featuring a Photoshopped image of the president wearing a crown that’s captioned “Send in the troops.” The slideshow ends with a shot from the musical Hamilton, with text reading: “Democracy is under assault right before our eyes. It’s time for all of us to stand up.”
The online showdown has significantly boosted Newsom’s social media presence, growing his personal TikTok account by approximately 397,000 followers and his official governor account by 479,000 since Friday.
Newsom is the latest in a growing number of politicians leveraging memes and social media to bypass traditional media and speak directly to the public through humor.
Famously, Kamala Harris gained momentum during her presidential campaign with “Brat Summer” and the coconut tree trend, while Joe Biden leaned into the viral “Dark Brandon” meme during his reelection campaign.
Although meme strategies can generate enthusiasm and visibility, the 2024 election results suggest that online popularity doesn’t always translate at the polls.
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