California Governor Gavin Newsom has once again proven that politics and pop culture can collide, and sometimes savagely. Pop sensation Taylor Swift’s newly released song “Actually Romantic” from her Life of a Showgirl album, was cleverly incorporated into Newsom’s ongoing feud with President Donald Trump in a video shared on his Instagram account on Friday. Swifties got excited when the video went viral, while Trump supporters were rather angry!
The video combines Swift’s song’s breathy, drunken lyrics with clips of Newsom interacting with Donald Trump during the president’s January visit to Los Angeles, where he looked at the damage caused by the wildfires.
Phrases such as “But it’s actually sweet, All the time you’ve spent on me, It’s honestly wild, All the effort you’ve put in, It’s actually romantic, I really gotta hand it to you, No man has ever loved me like you do,” hover over the video and create an ironic contrast. Trump’s handshakes and back pats are shown in the video in the same dreamy tone as Swift’s vocals, turning politics into a musical parody!
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This is not Newsom’s first attempt at political trolling worthy of sharing on social media. Of late, Gavin Newsom and his team have habitually poked fun at Donald Trump’s distinctive writing style. They’ve zeroed in on how Trump uses social media: the all-caps rants, the endless exclamation points, the childish nicknames for rivals, and that jumble of personal gripes and political points.
This has become a not-so-subtle jab at the president’s online persona. It often appears in the governor’s press office’s posts as it slams the caps lock key, adds schoolyard insults, and wraps up with “THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!” Newsom’s social media antics have also sparked strong reactions. In September, a federal attorney reportedly contacted the Secret Service after Newsom’s office referenced DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in a post that critics claimed could be misinterpreted as threatening. Newsom quickly clarified that the post aimed to highlight his opposition to Noem’s immigration policies, not pose a danger.
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Beyond memes and music videos, Gavin Newsom’s political maneuvers continue to make headlines. In recent months, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new law that prevents most police officers (even federal immigration agents) from hiding their faces while working in the state. This came after federal agents wearing masks raided neighborhoods in Los Angeles. People said the masked agents looked like a “secret police” force. Gavin Newsom had then called the raids “[out of] a dystopian sci-fi movie.” With this, he stressed that immigrants still have the same legal rights as anyone else in America.
But the pop culture and politics have grabbed the public imagination. Swift’s lyrical exploration of a sweet yet toxic relationship suits Gavin Newsom’s jabs at Trump. He satirizes presidential behavior while riding the wave of the latest music trend. The video feels familiar because it’s a move Newsom has pulled before. He played Taylor Swift’s “You Need to Calm Down” during Trump’s online tirades, drawing attention to how Trump posts online without thinking, as reported this June by The Hill.
Whether you’re a Swiftie, a political watchdog, or enjoy a good meme, Newsom’s post tells us how it’s done!
NEXT UP: Gavin Newsom Accused of ‘Hypocrisy’ After Using AI to Troll JD Vance in New Post
