“MANY PEOPLE ARE SAYING THIS IS THE GREATEST MERCHANDISE EVER MADE. PLEASE ENJOY, AMERICA!”
Posted on August 25 2025 12:00 pm CDT
California Gov. Gavin Newsom once again leaned into what has clearly become his favorite pastime: trolling President Donald Trump. Over the weekend, he unveiled a “PATRIOT” merchandise store with items that parody Trump’s infamous brand. The launch served as his latest jab in a months-long campaign skewering the president’s signature all-caps posting style.
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The shop isn’t just satire, but also a direct reference to what critics have referred to as the White House “gift shop,” filled with MAGA merch like ball caps. Earlier this month, Trump showed off the shop to foreign leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. There, visitors could browse baseball caps declaring “Four More Years” and “Trump 2028,” even though Trump cannot legally run for a third term as president.
A parody merch drop with MAGA energy
Newsom announced the store with a post that could have been ripped from Trump’s own social media playbook. “THE PATRIOT SHOP IS NOW OPEN!!!!” Newsom tweeted in all caps. “MANY PEOPLE ARE SAYING THIS IS THE GREATEST MERCHANDISE EVER MADE. PLEASE ENJOY, AMERICA!”
In the online shop, hats blazed in MAGA red but swapped slogans for jabs like “Newsom was right about everything!” and “REAL PATRIOT.” A tank top declared “Trump is not hot,” referencing Trump’s strange jabs at Taylor Swift. A T-shirt even crowned Newsom “The Chosen One,” mocking Trump’s 2019 claim about himself.
The most absurd item was a fake listing for a $100 “Holy Bible” allegedly signed by Newsom. He joked that the stock had “sold out” almost instantly, a direct hit at Trump’s own hand-signed Bible stunt. Within just three hours, Newsom claimed the site had already taken $50,000 of orders for merchandise.
People have mixed opinions about Newsom’s parody shop
Folks online were vocal about Newsom’s attempts to mimic and mock Trump’s style of posting, which is historically in all caps and makes him look like he is yelling. Some people love how Newsom is using Trump’s own playbook to fight back against him, and it appears to be working. Since he made it his mission to tweet like Trump, the president’s Truth Social posts are suddenly no longer all capitalized.
Not everyone is a fan of the trolling, however. Some people who supported Newsom previously think that he has gone too far. Others commented that he shouldn’t have begun fighting fire with fire in the first place.
“It’s incredible how many Trump supporters don’t realise this is exactly what Trump is doing and how ridiculous it is,” one person tweeted.
Another wrote, “Governor, your epic troll game with this Patriot Shop merch is pure genius, proving once again why you’re the leader California needs!”
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