Political Firestorm: Newsom Calls Out Trump Over Racist Video Scandal

“Oink Oink”: Gavin Newsom Ignites Political Firestorm with Shocking Trump-Epstein ‘Pig’ Image After Racist Obama Video Controversy

In the arena of modern American politics, the line between governance and high-stakes trolling has become increasingly blurred. This reality was never more evident than this past week, as a burgeoning feud between Donald Trump and California Governor Gavin Newsom reached a radioactive boiling point. What began as a national outcry over a deeply offensive and racist video posted to President Trump’s Truth Social account has transformed into a full-scale “political troll storm,” featuring explosive imagery, accusations of incompetence, and a dramatic refuse-to-apologize stance from the White House.

The controversy was ignited when a video appeared on Donald Trump’s official social media platform depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes dancing in a jungle, while Trump himself was portrayed as a lion. The imagery, which many have called a textbook example of racist caricature, sparked immediate and widespread condemnation across the political spectrum. However, instead of a standard apology, the White House’s response evolved into a series of shifting explanations and deflections that only served to fuel the fire.

The “Staffer” Defense and Newsom’s “Autopen” Jab

Initially, White House Press Secretary Carolyn Leavitt attempted to downplay the backlash, labeling it as “fake outrage” and dismissing the video as nothing more than an “internet meme” . But as the pressure mounted—and as even some prominent Republicans began to urge for the post’s removal—the narrative shifted. The White House eventually claimed that an unnamed staffer had posted the video by mistake, and that the President had not authorized its release .

This explanation was met with swift and biting mockery from the office of Governor Gavin Newsom. On Friday, Newsom’s press office responded on X (formerly Twitter) with a brutal, all-caps post: “WOW. WHITE HOUSE SAYS TRUMP DOESN’T WRITE HIS OWN TWEETS. AUTOPEN?” . Attached was an image mocking Trump’s Truth Social post as if it were signed by an autopen—a direct jab at Trump’s own frequent attacks on President Joe Biden’s age and cognitive abilities.

Trump has long claimed that Biden relies on an autopen due to decline, even reportedly replacing Biden’s portrait in the White House gallery with a black-and-white photo of an autopen as a form of petty protest . Newsom’s message was a sharp reversal of this tactic, essentially asking: If Trump isn’t the one posting his own content, who is really in control of the executive branch’s digital voice?

The Escalation: From Migrants to Pigs

The feud quickly expanded beyond social media snipes. When Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Newsom of releasing tens of thousands of criminal migrants into the country without notifying ICE, Newsom’s office fired back with a vengeance . They accused the White House of “working overtime” to distract the public from the racist “Ape” video and reiterated that California continues to cooperate with federal authorities in the removal of violent criminals .

However, the most explosive moment came when Newsom’s press office shared a highly controversial image that instantly went viral. The post featured Donald Trump and the late, disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein photoshopped onto pigs standing in a pen, captioned simply with “Oink oink” . The symbolism—referencing both the “pig” metaphor and Trump’s past associations—sent the internet into a frenzy and marked a significant escalation in the personal nature of the attacks between the two leaders.

Trump’s Defiance Aboard Air Force One

While the digital war raged, President Trump addressed the controversy directly while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One . Maintaining his characteristic defiance, Trump insisted that he is the “least racist president” and claimed that he had only watched the beginning of the video in question. According to Trump, the first part of the clip focused on “voter fraud in Georgia,” a topic he remains deeply invested in .

“I didn’t see the whole thing,” Trump claimed, adding that the video was meant to be a “takeoff on The Lion King” and featured many public figures in different roles . He admitted the post remained online for about 12 hours before it was deleted by staff who realized the nature of the ending. “I guess somebody didn’t [look at the whole thing] and they posted it and we took it down,” Trump explained .

When asked if he would apologize to the Obamas or to the public for the racist content, Trump was unequivocal: “No, I didn’t make a mistake” . He maintained that because he only saw the “fine” portion regarding voter fraud, he bore no personal responsibility for the offensive content that followed.

A Question of Accountability

The fallout from this week’s events has shifted the conversation from the video itself to a broader question of institutional accountability. If the President of the United States can have racist content remain on his official channels for half a day, and if the blame for such an oversight always lands on “unnamed staffers,” it raises serious concerns about the internal vetting processes of the White House .

Furthermore, the “racist” vs. “pig” exchange between Trump and Newsom suggests that American political discourse has entered a new, more visceral era. With both leaders viewing each other as “political archenemies,” the use of shock imagery and personal insults has become a primary tool for communication . As the 2026 political landscape continues to take shape, it is clear that neither side is interested in de-escalation. In the war of the “Lion” and the “Pigs,” the only certainty is that the next viral post is just a few clicks away.