California Governor Newsom Mocks Trump with Parody Driver’s License After Passport Controversy

California Governor Gavin Newsom has escalated his ongoing feud with President Donald Trump through a satirical social media post mocking the president’s decision to feature his own image on commemorative U.S. passports.

The exchange began when the State Department announced plans to release special edition passports celebrating America’s upcoming 250th anniversary, which will prominently display Trump’s portrait on the inside cover. The limited-edition travel documents are part of the administration’s America250 celebration initiative.

In response, Newsom’s office posted a mock-up of a California driver’s license featuring the governor’s face, mimicking Trump’s distinctive communication style with capital letters and self-congratulatory language.

“IN HONOR OF CALIFORNIA’S 175TH ANNIVERSARY, WE WILL BE ROLLING OUT A VERY SPECIAL DRIVER’S LICENSE FOR EVERY CALIFORNIAN THIS SUMMER!” Newsom’s press office wrote on X (formerly Twitter). The post continued with Trump-like phrasing: “IT WILL FEATURE A HANDSOME, HIGH-QUALITY PHOTO OF ME, GAVIN C. NEWSOM. MANY PEOPLE ARE SAYING IT’S THE BEST LICENSE EVER MADE IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD.”

The White House quickly fired back, with a spokesperson telling Fox News Digital that “Trump is focused on saving our country—not garnering recognition,” adding that critics of the president’s passport initiative “clearly suffer from a severe and incurable disease known as Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

This exchange marks the latest chapter in the increasingly contentious relationship between the California governor and the president. Since last summer, Newsom has adopted a strategy of mimicking Trump’s distinctive rhetorical style on social media while criticizing his policies and leadership approach.

The California governor’s office didn’t stop at the driver’s license parody. In another provocative post, they shared a mock image of a U.S. passport featuring Trump alongside deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein, further inflaming tensions between the two political figures.

Political analysts note that Newsom’s approach represents a calculated attempt to engage with Trump on his own terms, while simultaneously highlighting policy differences between California’s progressive governance model and the administration’s conservative agenda.

The passport controversy comes amid heightened political tensions nationwide. Newsom has positioned himself as one of the most vocal Democratic critics of Trump, frequently using social media to challenge the president’s policies on immigration, environmental regulations, and healthcare.

In a separate weekend post referencing the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, Newsom continued his Trump impersonation by writing: “VERY IMPORTANT PEOPLE ARE COMING UP TO ME, GAVIN C. NEWSOM, IN DC (INCLUDING A TOP REPUBLICAN, I WON’T SAY WHO!) TELLING ME, ‘GAVIN, SIR, YOU ARE AMAZING.'” The post ended with a direct jab at Trump, referring to him as “that LOSER.”

The heated exchange underscores the growing political polarization as the nation approaches its 250th anniversary celebrations. While the Trump administration has emphasized patriotic imagery and national unity through initiatives like the commemorative passports, critics like Newsom have questioned whether such approaches serve to unite or further divide the country.

The State Department has not commented specifically on Newsom’s parody, focusing instead on promoting the new passport design as a celebration of American heritage and national identity. Meanwhile, citizens across the political spectrum continue to observe the escalating war of words between two of the country’s most prominent political figures.