California Governor Gavin Newsom encountered unusual criticism for his social media antics after sharing a meme that ridiculed DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
The 58-year-old Newsom, widely considered a potential frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in the 2028 Presidential race, has attracted increased attention in recent months for his online posts, which often echo President Donald Trump‘s approach and aim to mock the administration and its agenda.
While Newsom has previously faced backlash for “pandering” to MAGA, he has continued to post his critiques, this time turning his focus toward Noem, 53.
On Thursday, Newsom’s press office posted a meme on X (formerly Twitter) featuring an illustration of a woman aiming a firearm at a dog’s head.
“Kristi’s Noem’s Dog Obedience School: She’ll Treat Them As Good As She Treats Brown People,” read the meme’s caption, reports the Irish Star.
The post directly referenced Noem’s 2024 memoir, No Going Back, in which she recounted an incident from two decades ago where the former South Dakota governor confessed to shooting and killing her family’s dog, Cricket.
In her book, she described the animal as “untrainable” and “less than worthless” following its attack on a neighbor’s chickens.
The admission has been ruthlessly ridiculed ever since, including in a South Park episode that targeted both Noem and the Trump Administration’s immigration policies, showing their animated Kristi Noem character shooting and killing immigrant dogs.
Yet, while Newsom’s posts mocking the administration typically earn praise from his supporters, this particular one seemed to hit a nerve, with many condemning it for making light of animal cruelty.
“Mocking animal cruelty isn’t funny,” one person wrote.
“I thought I hated you. Now I realize that I do. Mocking the murder of animals is gross. (we are the animals),” another said.
The account fired back at some of the criticism, responding, “dude, she’s a self-admitted puppy-killer.”
Noem’s office appeared to retaliate later with a trolling meme of their own, featuring a graphic of Newsom against a chaotic backdrop filled with MAGA’s favorite attacks on him and his state of California.
In their graphic, flames are visible amid raging wildfires with windmills dotting the horizon.
Additional images showed a gas station advertising sky-high prices, a “Mandatory Vaccine Checkpoint” and a “Now Leaving California” sign beside logos of Elon Musk‘s SpaceX and X.
Newsom also sports ribbons on his chest in the image, which read “Destroyed California Award” and “Loves Illegal Immigration Award.”
That account also faced backlash, as some questioned what the meme war had to do with Homeland Security duties, saying the post “ran awry” of the Hatch Act.
