California Gov. Gavin Newsom clashed with Scott Turner, President Donald Trump’s Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary, after Turner announced that HUD’s website would only be available in English.
“HUD is ENGLISH only,” Turner posted, showing screenshots of the updated site that had all other languages removed. Newsom’s press office fired back in Spanish with, “Vete a la chingada,” which roughly means “f–k off.”
The response is part of a growing trend of Newsom copying President Trump’s social media style, using all-caps posts and mocking conservative figures and outlets.
Some critics say the governor’s online behavior has gone too far. Fox News host Dana Perino said this week that Newsom should “stop it with the Twitter thing,” warning that if he wants higher office, “he has to be a little more serious.”
Newsom’s team hit back with another all-caps post, calling Perino “Dana ‘Ding Dong’ Perino (never heard of her until today!)” and boasting that Newsom is “America’s most favorite governor” while mocking Trump over his struggles with stairs.
Beyond the online sparring, Newsom has been playing a bigger role in national politics. He recently pushed back against Republicans in Texas over their redistricting plans.
This week, California Democrats introduced a new congressional map that would give them five more seats, balancing out GOP gains expected in Texas. Newsom said the plan would only take effect if Texas Republicans move forward with their proposal. “There’s still an exit ramp,” he explained.
According to The Washington Post, Democrats now hold 43 of California’s 52 congressional seats. The new map would expand that lead to 48–4.
