Gavin Newsom’s Trump trolling is working. Here’s how we know

California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom has been trolling Donald “TACO” Trump (shorthand for “Trump Always Chickens Out,” as Newsom has repeated) on social media, with the president’s signature ALL CAPS tweets, for weeks. And not only are Democrats here for it, but the strategy seems to be working.

Newsom’s press office runs the account, @GovPressOffice, which has, for all intents and purposes, turned that social media feed into a political parody mocking Trump and his Republicans allies, posting hot takes on their GOP initiatives around voting, redistricting, and Ukraine, just to name a few—all while mimicking the president’s style of lavishly praising himself and insulting, often viciously, those who disagree with him.

On Tuesday, the account mocked Fox News host Dana Perino’s meltdown over Newsom’s deliberate mimicry, and Newsom’s post garnered nearly 850,000 views in just a few hours.

Newsom’s outspoken criticism of Trump—at a time when so few have publicly sparred with the president—is being praised by Democrats, especially for his tough stances. One such stance is against redistricting, as Republicans are trying to redraw Congressional districts in Texas and other states in a way that gerrymanders more seats in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections.

On social media, some supporters are joking his press team should get a Pulitzer. “I love you for doing this. I honestly feel a sense of liberation! Finally, a Dem who will dish it out. THANK YOU!! Nobel Peace Prize for the Newsom Press Office!,” one user wrote on X.

Over on Bluesky, user @michaeljstern.bsky.social‬ summed up the sentiment of many posts on the platform when he wrote: “Gavin Newsom is killing it.”

Of course, one group that isn’t into it: The trolling has many supporters of the MAGA movement up in arms, who have also taken to social media to register their ire.

However, Newsom’s strategy seems to be working, fueling a surge in popularity and questions about whether he’ll be running for president in 2028 (Newsom has not announced his candidacy).

The Governor Newsom Press Office account, responsible for the trolling, has gained more than 250,000 followers in just the last 20 days since August 1, as the parody posts have come out, per Newsom’s office via Politico. It now has 417,900 followers at the time of this writing, while Newsom’s X account has some 2.4 million followers.

Gavin Newsom’s polling numbers are up

Notably, a recent University of California Irvine Poll found Newsom’s approval ratings had improved among California residents, while Trump’s were tanking. Californians disapprove of the president by more than a 2:1 ratio, whereas following his standoff with Trump, Newsom has seen positive favorability scores.

“There is no mistaking that Newsom’s battle with Trump has been good for his standing in the State, certainly among Democrats and also with Independents,” the report read.

And that’s not all. An August poll from Echelon Insights found Newsom is also appealing to voters nationwide. According to that Echelon poll, reported by Newsweek, Newsom is currently in second place with 13% support among a list of potential Democratic candidates for president in 2028, behind former Vice President Kamala Harris but ahead of former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)—all of whom have been vocal critics of the president’s second term. (The survey polled registered voters from August 14 to August 18, with a margin of error of 3.6%.)

That’s up from the results of an Emerson College survey from June, which showed Newsom at 7% support in a 2028 Democratic primary—which was up from just 3% in March.

Another clue that Newsom’s strategy is working: Polymarket’s betting odds. The online betting website puts his chances of winning the 2028 presidential election at 18% at the time of this writing, up 4 points in the last four days (though he’s still lagging behind JD Vance’s 28% odds).

Polymarket also now gives Newsom a 27% chance at the time of this writing of beating Ocasio-Cortez for the Democratic nomination, with a spread of 13 points. His chances are up 7 points in the last two days.