Newsom Hits Tired Trump With Brutal New Nickname
The California governor channeled a classic movie reference to lay into Trump’s doziness.

Photo Illustration by Eric Faison/The Daily Beast/Getty Images
Gavin Newsom mocked President Donald Trump’s habit of appearing to nod off in public settings with a nickname referencing a classic movie.
The California governor’s press office posted to X on Saturday an image collage of Trump, 79, with his eyes shut, and “The Nodfather” written below in a font borrowed from The Godfather poster.
saw this. had to share. pic.twitter.com/zqQVrPtYO3
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) November 8, 2025
The office captioned it, “saw this. had to share.”
The parody of the 1972 film’s name comes after Newsom previously branded the president “Dozy Don”—a mocking nod to Trump’s use of alliterative nicknames.
Just two days earlier, the Democrat’s press office declared “DOZY DON IS BACK” in a post on X with an image and video of Trump appearing sleepy as his administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr. Mehmet Oz, spoke in the Oval Office.
DOZY DON IS BACK! pic.twitter.com/TQHaMi9YaF
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) November 7, 2025
The president’s eyes seemed to shut several times as his administration announced lower prices for certain weight loss drugs for Medicare and Medicaid recipients.
In September, Newsom’s office used the same nickname after Trump rattled off several falsehoods, including “we won in 2020 big,” during his second state visit to the U.K.
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The office shared a Fox News clip to X of Trump making the claim, and others, at Chequers.
DOZY DON WHO LOOKS AWFUL RECENTLY (“THE HANDS”) IS LYING ON LIVE TELEVISION!
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) September 18, 2025
HIS SO CALLED “FCC CHAIR” BRENDAN CARR MUST IMMEDIATELY APPLY THE MADE UP “JIMMY KIMMEL” RULE AND KICK TRUMP OFF TV!!! LETS GO BRENDAN! — GCN https://t.co/rLdRb5LyFR
“DOZY DON WHO LOOKS AWFUL RECENTLY (‘THE HANDS’) IS LYING ON LIVE TELEVISION!” the office captioned the post, parodying Trump’s bombastic writing style.
Trump’s makeup-lathered right hand and cankles were on full display during the visit. The makeup appeared to be an attempt to conceal a recurring bruise.

Trump’s makeup-lathered right hand and cankles were on full display during the visit.
The Daily Beast/Reuters
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the bruising was the result of “frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin,” the latter of which is “part of a standard cardiovascular prevention regime.”
The White House revealed in July that Trump had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a common condition in older people where the leg veins fail to return blood to the heart.
The president has sparked much speculation surrounding his health, with his swollen ankles first noticed in July when he was photographed watching the FIFA Club World Cup final.

The White House revealed in July that Trump had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency.
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Getty
On Friday, Trump met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in the Cabinet Room of the White House, rather than the Oval Office. This allowed him to keep his ankles out of sight.
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The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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