California Governor Gavin Newsom launched a fresh salvo against President Donald Trump on Saturday in his ongoing campaign to bring the administration back down to Earth.
Slapping three news items illustrating the damaging effects of Trump’s major policies to his timeline, Newsom tweeted sarcastic congratulations at the president for the worsening state of domestic affairs.
Reposting a White House tweet praising “THE TRUMP EFFECT,” Newsom’s press office shared a news item claiming the price of beef is now at an all-time high.
“GREAT WORK @realDonaldTrump!!” Newsom then wrote in a follow-up tweet from his personal account.
In a subsequent tweet, Newsom also highlighted a Washington Post report covering Labor Department analysis that the Trump administration’s own immigration policies are threatening higher food prices.
A third jab re-tweeted data from the Office of Management and Budget which shows that thousands of government employees were laid off on Friday amid the ongoing government shutdown.
Newsom has been keeping pressure on the president and his allies since the start of Trump’s second term, ramping up his campaign in August following the deployment of the National Guard in his state of California in August.
Since then, Newsom has taken to mocking the president through the adoption of Trump’s own erratic, all-caps social media style. Newsom frequently refers to himself as “America’s favorite governor” in parody of Trump.
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Beef prices in the U.S. have been on the rise for years, thanks in large part to multi-year droughts that have been exacerbated by climate change. America has increasingly been importing beef from countries like Australia and Brazil, so prices have been impacted by Trump’s tariffs.
The Labor Department’s observation that Trump’s immigration polices are hurting farmers and risking higher prices was buried in an obscure document filed with the Federal Register last week.
“The near total cessation of the inflow of illegal aliens, increased enforcement of existing immigration law, and global competitiveness pressures… presents a sufficient risk of supply shock-induced food shortages,” the document reads.
The mass layoffs at government departments on Friday saw 4,200 employees let go. It’s the latest round in a trend that has seen hundreds of thousands of government staff let go from their roles since January, thanks in large part to the work of the Department of Government Efficiency headed by Elon Musk.
Trump described the shutdown as an “opportunity,” with critics arguing he is using the closure as cover to inflict further chaos on the running of government in order to whip up resentment against the Democrats. The Republicans continue to attempt to blame the opposition for the shutdown.
“TRUMP’S SHUT DOWN IS MAKING AMERICA LESS SAFE,” Newsom tweeted in response to the firings.