Contributor: Newsom’s knives-out memes show plausible strategy against Trump

Just when you thought it was safe to go back on TikTok, viral Gavin Newsom memes are taking over social media.

There’s Newsom Photoshopped into a classic black-and-white Calvin Klein ad (faux ripped abs and all). Newsom on the cover of a pretend romance novel (Fabio “bodice ripper” vibes abound). Newsom in a T-shirt declaring, “This is my real hair” (an unsubtle jab at President Trump). And my personal favorite: an AI-generated image of Hulk Hogan, Kid Rock and Tucker Carlson praying over him.

The most audacious? A parody of Trump’s iconic post-assassination-attempt photo — except Newsom isn’t raising a fist. He’s holding a bottle of ketchup (presumably referencing fake blood).

Then there’s Newsom sipping from a mug labeled “MAGA Tears.” Newsom as Superman. Newsom as Mel Gibson in “The Patriot.” Newsom with Jesus behind him, hands on his shoulders.

Unseemly? Yes. Effective? Probably.

We’d like to think we’re too sophisticated to fall for this nonsense. But memes work because they bypass the rational brain and target our subconscious. See someone enough times in a cape, glowing halo overhead and American flags flying, all while mounting a lion — and eventually part of you absorbs the message: This person is larger than life.

And here’s the genius part: There’s plausible deniability for the purveyor. Memes are propaganda posing as parody. They can always be brushed off as a joke. You get to inject iconography into the bloodstream (either for your candidate or against your opposition), and then shrug and say you’re just trolling, lol. In the case of Newsom, this is doubly so, since his memes are parodies, illustrating the absurdity of Trump’s.

For years, Trump monopolized this childish, if devious, game. That’s partly because it takes considerable audacity to promote an image of yourself as a ripped Marvel superhero (or as the pope) when you’re visibly … not. But shamelessness is Trump’s superpower.

Now Newsom wants in.

He’s borrowing the Trump playbook: daring federal officials to “arrest me,” vowing to “fight like hell” against the Trump administration’s efforts to extract $1 billion from UCLA and even slapping a Trump-style title on a bill (the “Election Rigging Response Act”) to counter Texas’ attempt to create five new Republican congressional seats.

And now, with his press shop blasting ALL CAPS taunts (“DONALD IS FINISHED — HE IS NO LONGER ‘HOT’ ”) and the proliferation of these viral images, Newsom has fully joined the Trump meme wars.

Sometimes the trolling is clever — like pasting JD Vance’s face on an Australian breakdancer (Newsom’s punny nickname for the veep is “Just Dance Vance”). Other times it’s a bit cruel — like retweeting a picture of a suave, young Newsom juxtaposed with an awkward teenage Vance.

Either way, the point lands the same. Newsom is taller, cooler and better looking. And he has better hair than Trump or Vance ever will. Once upon a time, we might have expected such gloating to backfire and repel Joe and Jane Sixpack. But in the Trump era of flashy braggadocio and chest-thumping one-upmanship, Newsom is fighting fire with fire.

In this bizarre new Trumpian phase of American politics, California’s governor isn’t sitting back. He’s hitting back. He’s fighting on Trump’s turf (TikTok, X, Bluesky and Instagram) and in the same meme economy.

And it just might work. Remember the 2016 primary? Republican voters skipped over the “serious” candidates and went with Trump, largely because “he fights.”

To be sure, Democrats are not Republicans. Their base has different priorities. But don’t rule out the possibility that toughness — and a willingness to throw elbows online — could resonate with voters who watched Trump roll over Kamala Harris.

Now, none of this means Newsom is destined to be the Democratic nominee. He comes across as a little too slick, a little too ambitious — think Ted Cruz. His governing record is hardly a selling point, especially at a time when the cost of living has become a top national concern. And let’s be honest: Winning elections in one of the bluest states in the union isn’t exactly a résumé that screams “broad appeal.”

This brings us to the California problem. Harris, the Democratic nominee in the last cycle, hails from the Golden State, and Democrats may think twice before doubling down with another “left coast” liberal. Add to that Newsom’s stint as mayor of San Francisco — a city conservatives love to hold up as a cautionary tale — and you can see why some strategists might think he’s radioactive in the swing state suburbs.

Still, politics today is less about political accomplishments and more about combat skills. In a perpetual cage match, Democrats may decide that Newsom’s sharp elbows, media savvy and willingness to mix it up make him their best bet in 2028. In short, his saving grace may be this: He fights!

Matt K. Lewis is the author of “Filthy Rich Politicians” and “Too Dumb to Fail.”