Ouch, that one
President Donald Trump used his return to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner to take aim at several familiar political targets, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom. One moment from the speech quickly spread across social media after Trump revived his longtime nickname for the governor and joked about California’s wildfire policies, prompting a wave of reactions online.
The clip, shared by the White House Rapid Response account on X, focuses on Trump’s remarks about Newsom during the dinner.
.@POTUS: "I was disappointed that Gavin Newscum didn't show up… I heard that he recently said that 'we will lose our country if we don't fight fire with fire.' And, to be fair, there's only one thing we know about Gavin—and that's that he definitely doesn't want to fight fire… pic.twitter.com/FcvmMERXoY
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 25, 2026
During the speech, Trump said he was disappointed that Newsom did not attend the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C., before referring to him as “Gavin Newscum.”
“I was disappointed that Gavin Newscum didn’t show up,” Trump said. “He didn’t show up. He should be here.”
Trump then referenced comments attributed to Newsom before adding, “There’s only one thing we know about Gavin, and that’s that he definitely doesn’t want to fight fire with water. He’s got a lot of water he never uses. What a disaster. That should have never happened.”
The remarks appeared to reference California’s long-running debates over wildfire prevention and water management, subjects that Trump and Newsom have repeatedly clashed over during both of their terms in office. The circulating clip, however, only includes Trump’s comments and does not include the broader context of Newsom’s remarks or any response from the California governor.
The remarks reference a recent statement attributed to California Gov. Gavin Newsom and allude to ongoing discussions about water management and wildfires in the state. The footage shows only this portion of the speech; it does not include the full context of Newsom’s original comments or any response from him.
Internet Reacts to Trump’s Newsom Remarks
The clip quickly gained traction across social media, where viewers offered sharply divided reactions.
Some users praised Trump’s jokes, with one commenter writing, “Lord help me. There will never be another like Trump!” Another said, “Gavin knows he will get roasted by President Trump if he came.“
Others focused their criticism on Newsom himself. “Worst governor in California history,” one commenter wrote, while another added, “No, he’s great. I’m embarrassed by Gavin Newsom.”
Not everyone found the exchange entertaining, however. Critics argued that Trump’s remarks fell flat, with one user writing, “That was the worst expletive speech ever in presidential history.” Another commented, “Aren’t the Americans embarrassed by this guy? The world is disgusted with this guy,” while another compared the speech unfavorably to previous White House Correspondents’ Dinner appearances, writing, “Obama was funny. This bozo is just embarrassing and abusive.”
Trump’s comments about Newsom ultimately became one of several moments from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner that circulated online after the event, adding another chapter to the long-running public rivalry between the president and California’s governor.
