California Governor Gavin Newsom has escalated a political feud with former President Donald Trump, using a series of AI-altered images to troll him on social media. This digital retaliation came swiftly after a video of Trump referring to a seasoned White House reporter as "piggy" went viral.
The Inciting Incident: Trump's 'Piggy' Remark
The controversy began on Friday, November 18, 2025, when Donald Trump was captured on video telling journalist Catherine Lucey, "Quiet. Quiet, piggy." Lucey is an experienced reporter who has covered the White House. The clip quickly spread across various online platforms, drawing widespread criticism and setting the stage for Newsom's response.
Newsom's AI-Powered Retaliation
Later that same day, the official press office for Governor Gavin Newsom launched a coordinated counter-attack on the social media platform X. The posts, which likely utilized artificial intelligence, featured a series of edited images targeting the former president.
The first image highlighted Trump's well-known preference for gold-themed décor in the Oval Office. It depicted him as a pig holding a photo of a proposed renovation project adorned with gold fixtures. The post was captioned, "Quiet, piggy."
A subsequent post placed Trump's face directly onto the body of a pig, further emphasizing the taunt. Another image referenced Trump's noted appetite for public attention and his past rants about a Time Magazine cover, featuring a mock magazine that incorporated the pig motif.
The final post from the California governor's press office showed an unaltered photograph of Trump with the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. This image was captioned simply "piggies," seemingly alluding to the ongoing legal and political battles surrounding the release of the Epstein files.
White House Response and Fallout
The White House entered the fray on the following Wednesday, issuing an official statement in response to Trump's original crass remarks. The statement defended the former president's behaviour, claiming, "This reporter behaved in an inappropriate and unprofessional way toward her colleagues on the plane." It concluded with a justification, stating, "If you're going to give it, you have to be able to take it."
This exchange underscores the intensely personal and confrontational nature of modern political discourse, where social media platforms have become a primary battlefield for public figures to settle scores and shape narratives.
