Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, has angered President Donald Trump by threatening to fight fire with fire. In a menacing letter, Newsom told Trump that if he didn’t stop attempting to win congressional seats through extreme redistricting in red states, California and possibly other blue states would do the same.
During a White House press briefing on Monday, the verbal battle went on, as Trump used his trademark juvenile epithets. “Gavin Newscom lacks the necessary skills. His line of bullsh-t is good, but that’s about it. He is incompetent,” a furious Trump yelled.
Two weeks earlier, Trump gave Texas Governor Greg Abbott instructions to secure five congressional seats for him in an attempt to protect the U.S. House’s tenuous Republican majority in the 2026 midterm elections. In an uncommon attempt at mid-decade gerrymandering, Abott directed state legislators to redistrict voting districts, which is typically done every ten years following the U.S. Census, to eliminate five Democratic-held seats and award them to Republicans.
By departing the state last week, Texas Democrats have so far stopped the redistricting process. In order to keep the Texas GOP from obtaining a quorum—the bare minimum of lawmakers required to ratify any gerrymandering vote—they fled to Illinois and other blue states.
President Trump calls California Governor Gavin Newsom “Newscum” 🤣
“Gavin Newscum is incompetent — He’s got a good line of bullshit, but that’s about it. He’s incompetent” pic.twitter.com/ByaQllOuFy
— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) August 11, 2025
Politico reports that Newsom wrote to Trump on Monday, stating that California “cannot stand idly by” as Texas and other Republican-led states attempt to implement Trump’s order to draft congressional maps that favor Republicans.
“If you will not stand down, I will be forced to lead an effort to redraw the maps in California to offset the rigging of maps in red states,” Newsom said. “But if the other states call off their redistricting efforts, we will happily do the same. And American democracy will be better for it.”
Trump’s redistricting order, he claimed, was “hyper-partisan” and an attempt to “rig” the next midterm elections.
“You are playing with fire, risking the destabilization of our democracy, while knowing that California can neutralize any gains you hope to make,” Newsom wrote. “This attempt to rig congressional maps to hold onto power before a single vote is cast in the 2026 election is an affront to American democracy,” reports Atlanta Black Star.
Donald Trump: It’s time to call Greg Abbott and tell him to stand down. You are not “entitled” to 5 congressional seats.
If you do not call your lapdogs off, CA will act quickly and swiftly. We will go to the ballot. We will neutralize whatever gains you make. We will not stand… pic.twitter.com/hUyQ3Amep5
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) August 11, 2025
Newsom wasn’t finished, though. He used social media to highlight how serious he is about giving Trump a similar ultimatum. “Donald Trump: It’s time to call Greg Abbott and tell him to stand down. You are not ‘entitled’ to 5 congressional seats. If you do not call your lapdogs off, CA will act quickly and swiftly. We will go to the ballot. We will neutralize whatever gains you make. We will not stand by while you light Democracy on fire,” Newsom posted on X.
Social media exploded along party lines, as you might expect. Naturally, MAGA voters attacked Newsom and supported Trump’s gerrymandering tactics. Since Republicans are expected to lose their slim majority in the House of Representatives, Trump’s opponents perceive his attempts to gain seats in the midterm elections as an attempt to rig the results.
