Donald Trump announced that a vague “fraud investigation of California” has started in a rage post attacking Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The 79-year-old president offered no details about the apparent probe against the Democrat, who has spent months trolling Trump online amid suggestions of a 2028 White House run.
“California, under Governor Gavin Newscum, is more corrupt than Minnesota, if that’s possible???” Trump posted on Truth Social Tuesday morning. “The Fraud Investigation of California has begun. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Trump’s reference to Minnesota in his Truth Social rant came as MAGA and Republican figures have fixated on allegations of mass fraud at daycare centers in the state. The president went on to take another dig at Newsom later Tuesday, telling House Republicans the California governor “couldn’t pass” a cognitive test.
In response to the investigation threat, a spokesperson from Newsom’s office told the Daily Beast: “Donald Trump is a deranged, habitual liar whose relationship with reality ended years ago. This is not complicated. He spends his days posting whatever garbage his shriveled little brain can cough up—and Fox News dutifully treats it like the Lord’s scripture.”
“Meanwhile—in the actual world where adults govern—Gavin Newsom has been cleaning house,” the spokesperson added. “Since taking office, he’s blocked over $125 billion in fraud, arrested criminal parasites leaching off of taxpayers, and protected taxpayers from the exact kind of scam artists Trump celebrates, excuses, and pardons.”
Newsom, who is term-limited and will leave office in January 2027, has long been touted as a potential Democratic presidential hopeful and spent large parts of last year raising his national profile by being a constant thorn in Trump’s side. This included relentlessly trolling the president by mimicking his unhinged, all-caps social media posts and sharing bizarre AI-generated images.
Newsom has attacked Trump from all angles as part of his trolling campaign. This has included frequently reminding the public of the president’s links to Jeffrey Epstein—and the administration’s failure to release all files related to the late pedophile—as well as mocking the frail health of the 79-year-old.
On Monday, Newsom accused Trump of “endangering the lives of children, again,” for slashing the number of vaccine recommendations for children from 17 to 11.
The California governor hasn’t limited his attacks to Trump, though. Newsom has also routinely mocked Vice President JD Vance, including pushing the viral false claim that the Republican wrote about having sex with a couch in his book Hillbilly Elegy. Newsom also frequently refers to White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller as “Voldemort.”
Trump and Newsom have made no secret of their mutual disdain for each other. Almost exactly one year ago, the president attempted to blame the deadly wildfires that ripped through parts of Los Angeles on the California governor while citing baseless and misleading claims.
“One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is burning down to the ground. It’s ashes, and Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social on Jan. 8, 2025.
Newsom also spearheaded a move to gerrymander five additional congressional House seats in California in response to similar Trump-backed efforts in Texas.
In a Dec. 30 post on X, Newsom once again used the platform to attack Trump.
“This year, California stood up against Donald Trump’s assault on our democracy,” Newsom wrote, sharing a clip of his November Proposition 50 victory speech in Texas. “We showed the nation what it means to stand up for our values. The fight continues. And California will be ready.”
