California Governor Gavin Newsom has drawn both cheers and jeers after sharing a now viral meme aimed at Vice President JD Vance’s involvement in Iran war negotiations, briefly redirecting his political angst away from President Donald Trump, the Gavin Newsom Press Office X account reveals.
Gavin Newsom’s press office circulated a video clip of President Trump’s recent remarks to reporters in the Oval Office, where he confirmed that JD Vance is among several administration officials involved in the negotiations.
The governor’s team paired the footage with a widely recognized meme showing a man bracing himself in front of a speeding New York City subway train, appearing to stop it through sheer strength alone. “Live look at JD in the Situation Room,” the office wrote in the post.
Live look at JD in the Situation Room https://t.co/RkT61hDO2N pic.twitter.com/FTacc2wLu1
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) March 24, 2026
The post follows criticism of Gavin Newsom at home over high taxes and persistent crime woes that have plagued California. State data released last week revealed that domestic migration out of California to states like Florida and Texas continued last year as former California residents leave for lower-tax states with cheaper costs of living.
Crime has also persisted in cities across California, with officials admitting there have been issues stemming from organized retail theft, repeat offenders and property crimes. While Gavin Newsom has tweeted about selling Nike shoes, critics say crime is something he should be focusing on.
Vance has recently spoken about Iran foreign policy but has not commented on the meme yet. President Donald Trump announced Vance was one of the top officials speaking with Iran, tweeting his name along with son-in-law Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and special envoy Steven Witkoff.
“JD is involved, and Marco’s involved, and Jared Kushner is involved—very smart guy. And Steve Witkoff, smart guy, is involved, and I’m involved,” Trump said. Newsom’s post offered no further explanation, relying entirely on the meme for its message. Vance’s office has not issued any formal response to the governor’s remarks.
JD Vance’s meme response to Gavin Newsom 👇😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/6TAT9Ki3ND
— Vince Langman (@LangmanVince) November 14, 2025
While Newsom’s post appeared to downplay JD Vance’s role, reporting from The Guardian indicates the Vice President may have more influence in the negotiations than suggested. An Iranian diplomatic source told the outlet that officials in Tehran actually prefer engaging with Vance, viewing him as more cautious about prolonged military involvement.
The same source said that confidence does not extend to Witkoff and Kushner, who were involved in earlier nuclear negotiations during the previous Trump administration. “If the negotiations are going to have any outcome, JD Vance should join,” sources told the outlet. “With Witkoff and Kushner, nothing will come out of it. We have seen that in the past.”
As those comments suggest, JD Vance is apparently viewed by at least some inside the diplomatic world as someone who might be able to do more to cut through than what’s being publicly portrayed by both sides.
A new poll from the Granite State showed Gavin Newsom’s support among voters down 9 points since late last year, Newsweek reports. New Hampshire primary momentum has been known to swing entire elections, and slipping this early could sap fundraising energy, media interest and embolden rivals to attack. After all, presidential primaries are still months away.
Meanwhile, when asked about who they’d vote for in a 2028 Democratic primary, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was the frontrunner with 29 percent support, an increase of one point since November. New Hampshire Gov. Newsom followed at 15 percent, a drop of 9 points from his standing late last year.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York saw the biggest bump in the poll with an 8 point increase to 10 percent. Former Vice President Kamala Harris stayed consistent with 6 percent.
While Gavin Newsom’s JD Vance meme may have him killing it on Tik Tok and Facebook, the California Governor isn’t resonating with voters he’ll need a majority of if he wants to take the Oval Office in 2028.
