Gavin Newsom continued his streak of taking sharp jabs at Donald Trump as the president hosted another lavish Mar-a-Lago celebration during the nation’s longest government shutdown.
As millions of Americans continue to face uncertainty over stalled federal programs, Trump hosted yet another high-profile bash at his Palm Beach estate, drawing sharp criticism from his most outspoken Democratic adversary.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has become one of Trump’s most relentless critics, reacted immediately. His press office issued a dry, one-word statement reacting to the report of Trump’s latest soirée: “Srsly? :\”
Srsly? :\ https://t.co/x8enwCFI3I
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) November 9, 2025
The gala, which took place at Mar-a-Lago on Friday night, reportedly featured all the hallmarks of a Trump party: opera performances, cocktails, ice sculptures, and a lavish three-course dinner complete with pan-seared scallops, truffle dauphinoise, and sliced beef filet. The event’s guest list read like a conservative A-list, including Fox News anchor Bret Baier, Iowa Congressman Zach Nunn, country star Jason Aldean, and British politician Nigel Farage.
However, the extravagant party at a time of such a massive crisis in the U.S., because of the government shutdown, naturally raised eyebrows. The same day Trump’s team rolled out the red carpet, his administration filed an emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court to block a federal order requiring aid payments for millions reliant on food stamps during the ongoing shutdown.
The party followed close on the heels of another headline-grabbing Trump gala, a Great Gatsby-themed Halloween event at Mar-a-Lago just weeks earlier. That rager, complete with roaring ’20s costumes and sparkling champagne towers, had also coincided with the continued government paralysis. At the time, Trump had posed for smiling photos with guests dressed in pearls and feathers as roughly 42 million Americans braced for a cutoff in vital food assistance programs.
GOOD NIGHT, PEASANTS! https://t.co/VysXn11GiA pic.twitter.com/Xvm9MUiGrU
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) November 8, 2025
This latest Mar-a-Lago spectacle, however, stood out for another reason as well. Only hours before the Florida celebration, Trump had ordered lawmakers to remain in Washington until they struck a deal to end what he called the “Democrat Shutdown.”
In a post on his Truth Social account, the president declared, “The United States Senate should not leave town until they have a Deal to end the Democrat Shutdown. If they can’t reach a Deal, the Republicans should terminate the Filibuster, IMMEDIATELY, and take care of our Great American Workers!”
Yet the president himself soon boarded a plane bound for Palm Beach. It was the kind of contradiction Newsom couldn’t resist highlighting. Sharing a mocking image of Trump as Marie Antoinette, the California governor quipped on X, “GOOD NIGHT, PEASANTS!”—a barb that quickly went viral.
While the shutdown stretches into record-breaking length, Trump appears unfazed as he continues his social media rants and high-profile parties. However, the common US population is getting affected, and it is only natural that a Democratic leader like Newsom will make full use of it to mock and call out Trump.
While Trump does not really seem to be bothered about the way he is criticized, it is now high time for the government shutdown to end, as otherwise, the general American public will face worse days with their basic rights, like food stamps and access to other federal services, going down the drain.
