California Governor Gavin Newsom has once again hit back at the Republican Party and their rhetoric of being victims in the hands of Democrats.
Gov. Newsom has called out Vice President JD Vance after Vance accused Democrats of threatening a government shutdown. In a social media post, Newsom referred to Vance’s claim as “blatantly false” while using expletives and raised the intensity of a partisan fight over communication and responsibility.
Vance was speaking with the press outside the White House during ongoing shutdown talks when he critizised Democrats for taking an “all or nothing” stance.
He claimed they were effectively threatening the American people:
“You don’t put a gun to the American people’s head … say, ‘Unless you do exactly what Senate and House Democrats want you to do, we’re going to shut down your government.'”
Vance also argued that Democrats were seeking “massive amounts of money to illegal aliens for their health care while Americans are struggling,” and called the approach “preposterous.”
Newsom, taking a leaf out of the republican party, did not reply with calm counterarguments. He called Vance’s comments “blatantly false, you [-].”
Republicans have control of the House, Senate, and White House.
If the government shuts down, it’s on them.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) September 29, 2025
To add insult to the injury, his press office followed up with a mocking post in all caps:
“WOW!!! … TOTAL SOAP OPERA … VERY BAD ACTING, AWFUL DANCING … TRUMP’S ‘BIG UGLY SHUTDOWN’ IS A DISASTER.”
The post accused Republicans of trying to “rip health care from grandma, your kids, everybody.” This blunt, mocking tone has become part of Newsom’s strategy, especially on social media.
Critics say it reflects Trump’s own style.
This is not the first time Newsom and Vance have been at each other’s throats, and this conflict most likely won’t be the last between them. Newsom has previously criticized Vance for what he views as an imitation of Trump’s social media tone. In a past exchange, Newsom’s team called Vance a “bargain bin” version of Trump. Vance, for his part, has accused Newsom of losing authenticity and simply imitating Trump. He said:
“You can’t mimic the king … you ought to just go and be yourself.”
The post accused Republicans of trying to “rip health care from grandma, your kids, everybody.” This blunt, mocking tone has become part of Newsom’s strategy, especially on social media. Critics say it resembles Trump’s own style.
At the same time, Vance has also faced backlash for linking Democratic rhetoric to recent violent acts. Recently, he claimed that the incident at a Dallas ICE facility was due to the encouragement of Democratic sentiment against law enforcement. The fight over shutdown rhetoric occurs during a tense time.
Federal funding is close to running out, and both parties are working to shape public opinion. While Vance tries to portray Democrats as hostage takers demanding surrender, Newsom calls Republicans self-serving and reckless.
This whole tug of war between Democrats and Republicans is no more about policies and people who are geting affected but more about rage baits and soundbites. It is about who controls the narrative. For now, this exchange adds more tension to an already volatile political climate.
