‘If you can’t beat ‘em...’: Gavin Newsom starts viral battle of the merch against Donald Trump

Governor of California Gavin Newsom has been busy positioning himself as Donald Trump’s chief opponent and, in the process, has begun to establish what many perceive to be a potential 2028 White House bid.

Newsom continues to call out the president at every turn, from his defence of undocumented immigrants in his state to blasting Trump’s attempts to “rewrite history and censoring historical facts" - a reference to the White House ordering several US museums to align their content with Donald Trump’s interpretation of American history.

Newsom's most recent gambit? Opting for the “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” strategy.

This consists in attempting to beat Trump at his own game by getting under his and Republicans’ skins through the use of now all-too-familiar online trolling tactics.

In recent weeks, Newsom has mimicked Trump’s writing mannerisms and ALL-CAPS tweeting style, reactively posted retorts and digs, as well as published pictures that echo the president’s brand of “memetic warfare” - a term employed by Kurt Sengul, a researcher at Macquarie University in Australia.

Sengul recently spoke to Euronews Culture about Trump and his administration’s use of memes and generative AI, which allows for the creation of an ecosystem where nothing appears to be serious. Trump’s stance is that if you get upset, it’s because you are “humourless and can’t take a joke,” according to Sengul. 

It seems like Newsom is turning the tables and that the desired effect has been achieved, as Trump routinely mentions Newsom and posts about him on his Truth Social platform. Last week, he wrote: “Gavin Newscum is way down in the polls. He is viewed as the man who is destroying the once Great State of California. I will save California!!!” 

Not that Newsom is deterred by his new nickname or Trump’s attacks, as he doubled down by trolling the president via a meme claiming that there are “worldwide calls” for him to win the Nobel Peace Prize – a dig at Trump’s reported lobbying for the prestigious prize.

Many of Newsom’s social media posts have gone viral and furthered his popularity - a buzz that has only been galvanized by the governor once again mirroring the president's methods by launching his own merchandise range.

As we examined last week, Donald Trump has set up his very own gift shop in a corner of the West Wing, to better peddle his MAGA merchandise. This includes cufflinks, water bottles and a whole assortment of red caps – including one that reads “Trump 2028”.

Seeing this, Newsom has set up his online 'Patriot Shop', which takes aim at the goodies Trump is selling and showing off to world leaders.  

"THE PATRIOT SHOP IS NOW OPEN!!!!,” Newsom wrote in a post on X. “MANY PEOPLE ARE SAYING THIS IS THE GREATEST MERCHANDISE EVER MADE. PLEASE ENJOY, AMERICA!" 

The merch includes hats that say “Newsom was right about everything”, "Trump is not hot" tank tops, and even Bibles signed by Newsom - a satirical counterpart to Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bibles.

Newsom also posted an image of a flag that says 'Make America Gavin Again' and said: "SOON 'MAGA' WILL HAVE A WHOLE NEW MEANING! COMING SOON FOR YOUR NEXT BOAT PARADE! YOU ARE VERY WELCOME, PATRIOTS!" 

The new line of tat has gone down very well. Check out some of the reactions below:  

Quite how long Newsom will continue his “sprinkler sprinkled” scheme remains to be seen. After all, if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you... For now, however, the tactic of playing Trump’s game is working.

According to Echelon Insights, the governor has a 13 per cent favourability compared to other potential Democratic candidates for the next election – a 3 per cent jump from last month.

Newsom has not launched an official bid for the nomination, but polling suggests he’s gaining momentum. One "Real Patriot" red cap at a time.