California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office fired off a celebratory Labor Day meme aimed squarely at a key Trump administration figure.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was the latest target for Newsom’s ridicule after his office posted a meme featuring the 28-year-old as Effie Trinket, a character from the popular Hunger Games franchise.
“KAROLYIN’ LEAVITT says Happy Labor Day!,” the Newsom Press Office X account tweeted.
The meme depicts Leavitt as Trinket and features the White House press secretary holding a sign that reads, “Happy Labor Day.”
Trinket is a lackey of the totalitarian dictator, President Snow, in the Hunger Games series and is played by Elizabeth Banks in the films.
The meme appears to liken the administration to that of the tyrannical Snow government in the series written by Suzanne Collins and turned into mega-hit movies starring Jennifer Lawrence.
Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks, left) and Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) in ‘The Hunger Games’. Photo credit: Murray Close/Lionsgate
In the role of Katniss Everdeen, Lawrence’s character competes in a gladiatorial fight to the death amongst teenage competitors from 12 districts to win food for her starving region.
“The Hunger Games” competition is designed as both entertainment for the gluttonous elites, like Trinket, and as a means of exerting violent control over the cowed citizens.
US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are greeted by California Governor Gavin Newsom upon arrival at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California, on January 24, 2025. MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
Newsom has been on the offensive with his social media trolling through both his press office and personal account for the past month, adopting Trump’s unhinged all-caps stylings. He has explained previously that he is attempting to “hold a mirror to MAGA” by following Trump’s example. He frequently refers to himself as “America’s favorite governor” in his parody tirades.
Fox News has been critical of Newsom’s new approach, although The Five co-host Jessica Tarlov admitted on Friday that it is effective in highlighting the hypocrisy of the administration.
“HAPPY LABOR DAY TO ALL, INCLUDING THE SCUM THAT IS TRYING TO DESTROY OUR COUNTRY WITH A SICK WARPED RADICAL MIND,” Newsom’s press office wrote in an earlier statement on Monday.
HAPPY LABOR DAY TO ALL, INCLUDING THE SCUM THAT IS TRYING TO DESTROY OUR COUNTRY WITH A SICK WARPED RADICAL MIND, KILLING SMALL BUSINESSES WITH CRAZY TARIFFS, TAKING HEALTH CARE FROM CHILDREN, PARDONING J6 THUGS, SENDING THE “PRIVATE ARMY” TO ARREST GRANDMA, WRECKING OUR…
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) September 1, 2025
The Newsom press account also shared a meme of the Harry Potter villain, Lord Voldemort, celebrating Labor Day. The caption to that image likened White House aide Stephen Miller to the evil wizard played by Ralph Fiennes in the blockbuster movies, a common critique from the Newsom team.
Leavitt, who began working for the Trump campaign in 2024, was praised by the president at the start of August for her fast-moving lips.
“It’s that face. It’s that brain. It’s those lips, the way they move. They move like she’s a machine gun,” the president said when asked what he liked most about his press secretary.