California Governor Gavin Newsom and his team delivered a biting birthday jab at White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller over the weekend.
The post, published on X on Sunday, came a day after Miller turned 40.
Miller joined Trump in 2016 as Trump’s senior policy advisor and is currently one of the prominent figures shaping the Trump administration’s strict immigration policies and advocating for strong border security.
Highlights
- Gavin Newsom mocked Stephen Miller's 40th birthday with a Voldemort party hat image, comparing Miller to the villain.
- Newsom’s team also mimicked Trump’s all-caps style to mock him, comparing Trump to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in recent posts.
- Newsom’s 'Patriot Shop' sold out a $100 Bible parody, making a jab at Trump’s 'God Bless America Bible.'
Gavin Newsom mocked Stephen Miller in a birthday post on social media
Image credits: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
In Newsom’s X post, the governor compares Miller to a villain. The birthday message features an image of Voldemort from the Harry Potter films wearing a party hat and smiling.
The message read, “Happy birthday, @StephenM! Sorry we missed your big day yesterday.”
This is not the first time Newsom has compared Miller with Voldemort. In June, a fan account published a post on X claiming the role of Voldemort in the upcoming HBO series had been cast, but was being kept a secret.
Newsom’s press office account simply posted in response: “Congrats, @StephenM!”
The governor’s social media team has been aggressively trolling other GOP figures as well, including U.S. President Donald Trump himself.
Yesterday, Newsom compared Trump to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Just hours earlier, Trump had boasted about having a “great relationship” with the authoritarian leader.
Image credits: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Newsom’s press office responded to an X post where the U.S. Department of Labor shared a photo of a massive banner draped over the department’s Washington, D.C., headquarters.
The banner shows a scowling Trump with the words “AMERICAN WORKERS FIRST” displayed next to a similar image of Theodore Roosevelt.
Newsom’s office mimicked Trump’s signature all-caps style on X, captioning the post, “THANK YOU, GLORIOUS LEADER!” and attached a photo of a large mural of former North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il that is installed in Pyongyang.
Newsom’s team mimics Trump’s all-caps writing style in their X posts about the president
Image credits: The White House/Flickr
This is not the first time Newsom has mocked Trump’s writing style. Earlier this month, he issued a mock legal threat against Trump if the president kept pursuing redistricting states to gain more of a Republican foothold.
The post read: “DONALD TRUMP, THE LOWEST POLLING PRESIDENT IN RECENT HISTORY, THIS IS YOUR SECOND-TO-LAST WARNING!!! (THE NEXT ONE IS THE LAST ONE!). STAND DOWN NOW OR CALIFORNIA WILL COUNTER-STRIKE (LEGALLY!) TO DESTROY YOUR ILLEGAL CROOKED MAPS IN RED STATES.”
In another post, Newsom called Trump “Donald ‘Taco’ Trump,” referring to the acronym ‘Trump Always Chickens Out,’ which was popularized earlier this year as Trump wavered on tariff promises.
In July, Newsom’s press office referred to Miller as a “fascist c**k” in a tweet responding to Miller’s criticism of a federal judge who blocked ICE arrests without “reasonable suspicion.”
The office added, “Sorry the Constitution hurt your feelings, Stephen. Cry harder.”
“This fascist c**k in DC continues his assault on democracy and the Constitution, and his attempt to replace the sovereignty of the people with autocracy,” the post said.
Adding to the online trolling, Newsom has opened what he calls the ‘Patriot Shop,’ where the governor is selling merchandise related to Trump, including $100 Bibles.
The already sold-out Bible takes a jab at Trump’s God Bless America Bible, with Newsom’s website listing the Holy Bible signed by “America’s Favorite Governor.”
Newsom’s Patriot Shop sells a $100 Bible, taking a jab at Trump’s God Bless America Bible
Behind Newsom’s online campaign are two key staffers: Izzy Gardon and Brandon Richards, who lead the governor’s online offensive. Gardon, 31, is Newsom’s communications director, and Richards heads rapid-response efforts online. The two have extensive experience in political communications.
In conversations with The Standard, people close to Newsom claimed that the two staffers are part of a team carrying out a broader strategy requested by the governor to counter Trump, using the confrontational style the president often employs.
Image credits: Tayfun Coskun/Getty Images
Responding to criticism about his online activity during a recent news conference, Newsom said, “If you’ve got issues with what I’m putting out, you sure as hell should have concerns about what he’s putting out as president. To the extent it’s gotten some attention, I’m pleased.”
Miller’s birthday post quickly went viral, and since August, Newsom’s GovPressOffice account has gained more than 250,000 followers and over 225 million impressions, according to his team.