California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office took a shot at President Donald Trump and Fox News on Tuesday after a technical glitch disrupted live coverage of Trump’s speech in Iowa on the network’s “The Five.” They posted a one-sentence comment that quickly spread online.
Trump, 79, was in Clive, Iowa, where he highlighted his economic record during his second term. He also tried to divert attention from the controversy surrounding two deaths involving federal immigration agents this month in Minnesota.
While Fox aired the rally, the feed cut out about 12 minutes into the broadcast, showing a color test pattern and producing a loud buzzing sound, according to video shared by Newsom’s press office and reported by The Daily Beast.
“The production quality is just like Trump’s leadership quality—s–tty,” Newsom’s press office wrote on X, commenting on the disruption.
When the signal returned, Fox host Dana Perino explained that the interruption was due to a “minor technical difficulty.” She then ended the live shot of Trump’s remarks, even though he was still speaking, and returned the program to the panel.
Perino also praised the crowd turnout, saying, “It’s the middle of the day on a Tuesday in Iowa, and he is able to pull a crowd like that,” according to the report.
The production quality is just like Trump’s leadership quality — shitty. pic.twitter.com/RyE8JftzQ3
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) January 27, 2026
The panel discussed criticism of Trump’s message from Harold Ford Jr., a former Democratic congressman. Ford told Fox viewers that he “liked” Trump but believed the president sounded rusty and did not address issues important to Iowans. He noted that he did not hear Trump mention the cost of living or farmers and suggested focusing on “lifting tariffs.”
Ford urged a more forward-looking message, arguing that Trump should discuss job creation linked to artificial intelligence instead of revisiting past elections. “You don’t win future elections with the old technology,” he said, comparing it to shoppers who want the newest iPhone, not an “iPhone X.”
In his Iowa remarks, Trump repeated familiar points about the U.S. standing in the world, portraying the country as diminished before his presidency, according to rally coverage and excerpts shared online.
CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten said Trump’s choice to headline an event in Iowa reflected political pressure because polling on the economy has dropped. Enten noted that Trump was at a net minus 20 on the economy and argued the administration was not convincing voters it was focused on lowering prices.
“The Trump administration is focusing too little on lowering prices,” Enten said, referencing polling that showed three in four Americans believe the administration is doing too little in that area.
This incident created another viral moment in Newsom’s ongoing social media exchanges with Trump and drew attention to how Fox’s coverage switched from live remarks to studio commentary after the brief outage.
Newsom has been on the president’s neck since he returned to office for his second term. The California governor never misses an opportunity to criticize Trump and his allies.
