‘You Can’t Mimic The King’: JD Vance Slams Gavin Newsom For Being ‘Cheap Imitation’ Of Trump

Vice President JD Vance tore into Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Fox News Thursday, accusing the Democrat of trying and failing to imitate President Donald Trump.

Newsom has openly imitated Trump’s style, firing off all-caps posts and theatrical threats that mirror the president’s signature flair. Responding to a question on “The Will Cain Show” about Newsom’s rising profile and Trump-style rhetoric on social media, Vance didn’t mince words.

“You said he’s mimicking Donald Trump, and I think that’s exactly right,” Vance told host Will Cain. “The lesson of President Trump in American politics is you’ve got to be authentic to yourself. When I see Gavin Newsom trying to act like Donald Trump, that’s the opposite of authenticity.”

Vance said Newsom’s political persona feels manufactured and hollow.

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“He’s not trying to be Gavin Newsom, whoever that is. He’s trying to be a fake carbon copy of Donald Trump, and it just doesn’t work. You can’t mimic the king. You can’t mimic the master. You ought to just go and be yourself, and I think the American people would like that a lot more than a cheap imitation of the President of the United States,” Vance said.

Newsom has been copying Trump, unleashing all-caps tirades and dramatic threats that echo the president’s tone. Yet even with that approach, he admitted Wednesday his party has a “weakness” problem, calling it the core challenge Democrats face in upcoming elections. (RELATED: ‘Bad, Bad For The Democrats’: CNN’s Harry Enten Says GOP Party Registration At Strongest Level In More Than 20 Years)

Newsom pointed to a comment that former President Bill Clinton made after Democrats lost the 2002 midterms, saying it still captures the party’s dilemma — uncertain voters often prefer “strong and wrong” leaders over those seen as “weak and right.”

Newsom’s remarks come after Democratic support hit historic lows in 2025, following the party’s major losses in the 2024 election cycle. While Republicans gained millions of registered voters, Democrats saw a decline, prompting calls from within the party to shift back toward center-left policies.

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