Although California Governor Gavin Newsom has never been afraid to make fun of Washington, his latest remark fell somewhere between political satire and Silicon Valley irony. Newsom said that an AI chatbot (Elon Musk‘s Grok, no less) is more intelligent than the White House as he spoke on stage at Climate Week in New York and in the chaotic world of X (formerly Twitter).
He also kept it a secret during a donor dinner. Without writing in capital letters, he concealed sarcasm in his message.
A White House post warning that a “Democrat-Led Shutdown Will Put Law Enforcement ‘Lives On The Line’ Without Pay” triggered the debate. Gavin Newsom chose to use a computer program rather than an expert in constitutional law to test the validity of that claim.
He asked Grok, “Which party currently controls the U.S. government?” Republicans control government power, the chatbot replied. He thus proved that claiming that Democrats are responsible for a shutdown was more of a political maneuver than a fair assessment. The punchline, “Sad to see Grok is smarter than the White House,” was then happily posted by Newsom.
For those unfamiliar with “DC brinksmanship,” the meaning is that despite having a slim Senate majority, Republicans lack the 60 votes needed to end the debate. To try to delay budget bills and block carve-outs on health care support, Democrats have been using the filibuster method.
Government staff is preparing for their paychecks to be delayed as time passes, and the “shutdown” season comes yearly. Law enforcement and other essential workers will report for duty without pay until the crisis is settled. It is taxing for the American people and includes fiscal cliff diving and political hostage-taking elements.
But parliamentary math was not the only aspect of Gavin Newsom’s trolling. It was an attack on political blame games, where fact become fiction and get twiested like balloons during a kid’s birthday celebrration.
This roast wasn’t an isolated incident. For months, Gavin Newsom has been throwing insults and memes at Donald Trump’s White House, often referencing Trump’s own flamboyant style of speech. His press office reacted strongly on Friday to a tweet that called out Trump adviser Stephen Miller as a “fascist.” For extra flair, the tweet included a Cinderella meme.
In a playful satire of Trump’s assertion that he is America’s favorite president, the governor of California has even named himself “America’s favorite governor.” The feud has become an odd clash between prime-time politics and late-night comedy.
Meanwhile, the White House’s messaging system is working overtime to counter Cal. Gov’s attacks. Newsom also had a lot to say about Donald Trump’s visit to the United Nations in New York. Then came Grok, the AI fact-checker that Gavin Newsom used as a quirky escape and rhetorical tool.
Kamala Harris, Newsom’s longtime political frenemy, has been busy promoting her new memoir (107 Days). This tour has begun to harm her relationships with other Democrats, according to reports from the LA Times.
Harris described how Gavin Newsom responded to her urgent messages in the tense hours following Joe Biden’s resignation in 2024 with the short message, “Hiking. Will call back.” In case you forgot it, he didn’t! This anecdote shows their complicated past as enemies in goals but friends on paper.
Gavin Newsom is forging (or at least meme-paving) the path to the 2028 Presidential election. If ex-VP Harris is seen as burning bridges, Newsom’s use of tech platforms and wit as campaign fodder stands out with his AI jab.
