In the latest escalation of their long-running political feud, California's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom has targeted former President Donald Trump with a new and brutally witty nickname: 'The Nodfather'.
The Birth of 'The Nodfather'
Newsom's press office kicked off the attack with a social media post on Saturday, sharing a collage of pictures that appear to show Trump falling asleep in his chair at various events. The images were captioned with the new moniker, 'The Nodfather', written in the distinctive font from the poster of the iconic film trilogy, The Godfather.
The post, which simply stated 'Saw this. Had to share,' quickly gained traction, amassing more than 34,000 likes. This move came just two days after the governor's office had labelled Trump 'Dozy Don', posting a photo and video that seemed to show him napping during an Oval Office meeting about lowering drug prices on Thursday.
A History of Alleged Snoozing
This is not the first time Trump has been accused of dozing off during critical moments. The article references an instance from last April, when he was seemingly caught catnapping during his New York hush money criminal trial.
However, the 'Nodfather' post was met with significant backlash from Trump's supporters. Many accused Newsom of deliberately presenting the former president in an unflattering light. One social media user dismissed the images as 'perfectly timed blink photos', while another defended Trump, stating he is 'as healthy, sharp, and alert as ever' and that the moment was merely a human response to fatigue.
The Feud Intensifies on Policy Grounds
The war of words extended beyond nicknames during a Sunday morning interview on CNN's State of the Union. Newsom directly challenged Trump's record, telling host Jake Tapper, 'Donald Trump said he would make us wealthier and healthier. We're poorer and sicker.'
He pointed to economic data, citing that the consumer price index (CPI) rose by 0.3 percent in September, contributing to a 3 percent spike over the past year. Newsom criticised Trump's proposed tariffs and their impact on food prices, accusing the former president of 'defensively suggesting he's solved' the country's economic woes.
In a striking summary of his critique, Newsom declared, 'It’s not about the rule of law. It’s about the rule of Don.'
The animosity is mutual. Trump has previously taken aim at the California governor, notably during the summer when he called for Newsom's arrest over his handling of anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles, describing him as a 'nice guy' but 'grossly incompetent'.
