California Governor Gavin Newsom said he will intensify his attacks on President Donald Trump by launching a memecoin and expanding a wave of social media posts designed to parody the former president’s online persona, NBC Los Angeles reported.

The governor made the revelations during a recent appearance as a guest co-host on the “Pivot” podcast with journalist Kara Swisher.

He said he launched the initiative to highlight what he called the absurdity of Trump’s online persona, including the President’s frequent use of capital letters and AI-generated images depicting himself as a superhero.

Newsom said the coin, slated to be called “Trump Corruption,” will fund his Campaign for Democracy and redistricting efforts. He added that the project is part satire but reflects deep concerns about the state of U.S. democracy.

‘Trump Corruption Coin’

Newsom said that his Trump Corruption Coin is aimed at countering Trump-related digital assets, including the official TRUMP token. He added that the proceeds will be directed toward his Campaign for Democracy, which will fund redistricting efforts and grassroots organizing.

He joked that his original idea was to name the coin “Smelt,” a nod to reports about Trump’s personal fragrance. He added that if he decided to mimic the President further, he might even crowdsource names for a perfume line.

Despite the satirical edge, Newsom framed the project as a serious warning about democratic backsliding, adding to concerns raised by Democrats over Trump’s digital ventures.

The governor also expressed confidence that his meme coin would outperform Trump’s, recalling a previous White House exchange in which Trump bragged about profits from his coin and his wife, Melania’s, venture into the same market.

Gloves-off approach

Newsom said his gloves-off approach emerged after months of attempts to cooperate with Trump’s administration over federal disaster aid. However, he shifted course when Trump deployed National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles to back aggressive immigration raids.

He said the moment was a turning point for him and recalled directing his staff to abandon restraint and adopt an unrelenting strategy of public confrontation.

The Democratic governor, who is widely seen as a presumptive presidential candidate, said Americans should expect more trolling and social media barbs in the months ahead.

With the presidential race looming, Newsom’s blend of satire and digital campaigning signaled that the battle between Trump and his Democratic challengers is expanding into new political and financial arenas.

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In typical thug fashion, Donald Trump hammered Gavin Newsom for not thanking him after all that he’s done for Los Angeles —nobody else, after all, could have injected such chaos and violence into a city so spectacularly as the president.

“Incompetent Gavin Newscum should have been THANKING me for the job we did in Los Angeles, rather than making sad excuses for the poor job he has done,” Trump complained on Truth Social yesterday afternoon. “If it weren’t for me getting the National Guard into Los Angeles, it would be burning to the ground right now!”

Meanwhile, all 500 square miles in sunny Los Angeles has been business as usual throughout Trump’s military invasion, except for the few blocks downtown where ICE and the National Guard are concentrated. But like the schoolyard bully who demands that you thank him for punching you in the face and stealing your lunch money, Trump keeps demanding thanks from his targets. Volodymyr Zelenskyy wasn’t his first victim of forced gratitude, and Newsom won’t be his last.

From The Independent:

President Donald Trump said California Governor Gavin Newsom should be “thanking” him for calling in the National Guard in Los Angeles after an appeals court ruling delayed the military being used to help stop anti-ICE protests.

A U.S. District Judge ruled Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops in LA was “illegal” and violated the Tenth Amendment, and that troops had to leave. But a late-night decision by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dealt a blow to Newsom and delayed the implementation of the lower court order.

For now, Trump will maintain control of the National Guard in LA after the court rulings.

Previously: 5 clever tactics for defusing bullies during negotiations