California Governor Gavin Newsom spent the summer trolling President Trump, trying to beat the master at his own social media game. His press office posted ALL-CAPS TWEETS IMITATING TRUMP’S BOMBASTIC TRUTH SOCIAL RANTS (SAD!), as well as A.I.-generated videos featuring Newsom shaking hands with Tiny Trump:
And enjoying a refreshing glass of MAGA tears:
Some of the panelists on CNN’s Have I Got News for You applauded the attacks. “Troll on, brother, troll on,” laughed Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett.
Roy Wood Jr. thinks the all-caps tweeting style is spot-on. “That’s a quality Donald Trump impersonation right there,” he said admiringly. “That’s right up there with Alec Baldwin. Neck and neck.”
But not all the show’s comedians agreed with the approach. “I know I’m in the minority on this. I hate that he’s doing this,” argued Michael Ian Black. “I hate that we’re reducing our politicians to cartoon characters. I don’t give a shit how well you control online. Do your fucking job. That’s what I care about.”
That mini-rant drew applause from the studio audience, but Crockett wasn’t buying Black’s pushback. “MAGA is losing their shit right now. And they’re like, ‘This is immature,’” she said. “Yes! That’s what we’ve been saying! That is what we’re trying to get you to see. It’s immature. It’s ignorant. And it doesn’t prove that you should be having the nuclear codes.”
That’s why Newsom’s tactics are fair game, Crockett argued. “I think it’s necessary because we’re putting a good old mirror up in your face to make you understand that y’all been supporting a real ignorant fool this whole time.”
Amber Ruffin pushed back on Black as well, comparing his criticism to people who complain about comics on shows like Have I Got News for You. “That’s like how people do us when people are like, ‘They over here making jokes, but there’s serious shit going on, man.’”
That’s different, Black said. Newsom is the governor, not a comedian.
But Trump is Trump, and he’s getting away with it, Ruffin shot back.
“And he sucks!” concluded Black.
Dave Foley, the Kids in the Hall veteran, appreciated Black’s idealistic but possibly unrealistic stance: “I think Michael’s antique desire for integrity is adorable.”
After Wood played clips of conservative pundits echoing Black’s “stop being so childish” arguments, Black sheepishly admitted he agreed with them. “Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, is out there making the same exact points, but doing it in a way that is mature, intelligent, rational, reasonable, and doesn’t come across like he’s just a needy little baby sucking at the teet of public attention,” Black said, “which I think is what Gavin Newsom is doing.”
The problem, Ruffin said, is that Pritzker’s audience is already voting Democrat. “We don’t need their votes,” she contended. “We need the idiot votes. Let’s get stupid.”
