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Bad Timing: California Gov. Gavin Newsom Ratchets Up Feud With Joe Rogan as Republicans Lead the Field to Replace Him

California Governor Gavin Newsom is continuing his trend of mimicking Donald Trump’s social media style—posting in all caps with a snarky tone. While his campaign staff likely finds this clever, and Newsom himself is presumably on board (despite his recent, awkward attempts to use his dyslexia to “relate” to voters), most people find the act tiresome.

Usually, this is just background noise for those unfortunate enough to be fed his posts by the algorithm. However, the situation has escalated as Newsom picks a fight with Joe Rogan while simultaneously “soft-launching” a presidential bid. This comes at a precarious time for California Democrats; following Representative Eric Swalwell’s sudden exit from the gubernatorial race due to sexual misconduct allegations, two Republicans are currently leading the state’s “jungle primary.”

The conflict began when Rogan, who famously traded California for Texas in 2020, labeled Newsom a “f***ing con man” and a “cardboard cutout of a person” during a recent podcast. Rogan argued that Newsom lacks the authenticity voters crave, citing his pandemic-era hypocrisy and forced mandates.

Newsom’s team responded to being called a “huckster” by proving Rogan’s point about his artificiality. Instead of a substantive defense, a staffer fired off an all-caps rant calling Rogan a “LITTLE GUY” who is “TOO CHICKEN” to host the Governor.

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Here is the latest “all-caps fusillade” from the Newsom camp:

The situation is particularly striking given that these outbursts are coming from the press office of a man eyeing the presidency. We’ve already seen how the “anti-Rogan” strategy worked out for Kamala Harris, and Newsom—a failed podcaster in his own right—seems determined to repeat the mistake.

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Beyond the social media drama, Newsom’s record as governor is under fire. He inherited a state with fixable problems and a massive budget surplus, along with a booming Silicon Valley. Today, that surplus has vanished into chronic deficits, and many major companies have fled the state. He’s arguably left California with more problems than he found.

With Newsom term-limited, the upcoming June 2 jungle primary is shaping up to be a disaster for his party. Currently, Republicans Steve Hilton (a former Fox News host) and Chad Bianco (the Riverside County Sheriff) are leading or near the top of the polls. As UC San Diego professor Thad Kousser noted, there is a very real possibility that Democrats—who usually command 60% of the vote—could be shut out of the general election entirely because they have too many candidates splitting the ticket.

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The “favorite” to lead the pack, Eric Swalwell, saw his career implode in April 2026. He was forced to resign from Congress and drop out of the governor’s race following a wave of serious sexual misconduct allegations. The remaining Democratic field is a fractured mix:

  • Tom Steyer: The billionaire environmentalist.

  • Katie Porter: The progressive firebrand.

  • Xavier Becerra: The Biden administration functionary.

  • Antonio Villaraigosa: The former L.A. mayor.

  • Matt Mahan: The San Jose mayor (whom most voters likely couldn’t pick out of a lineup).

The core problem for Newsom is that none of these candidates are running on his legacy—because his legacy isn’t popular. The Democratic field is in chaos precisely because no one wants to promise “four more years” of what Newsom has built. Yet, while his party faces a potential shutout, Newsom’s response to criticism is to fire off all-caps insults like “LITTLE GUY” and “ALL TALK, NO ACTION.” It’s a bold strategy, and one that his fellow California Democrats likely wish he’d save for someone else.

Published inNEWS