Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson continues to bear the brunt of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s trolling on social media this week.
The Democrat has posted yet another AI-altered video that turns Johnson’s face and voice into that of a minion from the Despicable Me franchise—an apparent dig at President Donald Trump’s new use of artificial intelligence to rib Democrats.
Johnson, 53, brushed off Newsom’s initial edit on Thursday, saying he thought “it was hilarious.” The lawmaker added that both Republicans and Democrats need to stop worrying about memes on social media and focus on reopening the government.
This one’s for you little man. https://t.co/nuhZiKtUld pic.twitter.com/pNUHTVv6Rs
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) October 2, 2025
Newsom, who has no significant sway in reopening the government as governor, edited a portion of the same clip to portray Johnson as a minion again hours later.
“This is for you, little man,” he posted on X.
On Friday, Newsom referred to the House Speaker in another post as “Little Man” Johnson.
Newsom has been criticized for his increasingly bizarre posts. However, Republicans have little room to criticize the California governor without also badmouthing the country’s 79-year-old president, who has become obsessed with bizarre AI-generated content.
The saga began with Trump bizarrely sharing a video of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries with a mustache and sombrero—an attempt to characterize the Democrats as being overly supportive of undocumented immigrants.
The constant back-and-forth has set off a meme war, with lawmakers of both parties also getting involved.
The 44 Senate Democrats who voted for Schumer’s Shutdown should know that the Sombrero posting will continue until they re-open our government. 🎶 Hey, Macarena! 🎶 pic.twitter.com/coNBfnGXcY
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) October 2, 2025
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz posted a video that showered sombrero-wearing Senate Democrats who voted for the shutdown, writing on X: “The 44 Senate Democrats who voted for Schumer’s Shutdown should know that the Sombrero posting will continue until they re-open our government.”
“Hey, Macarena!” he added.
On the other side, Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gomez posted a short video on his X account that unveiled an AI-generated poster of “Forgetting Jeffrey Epstein,” a spoof of the 2008 rom-com Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which displayed a sad Trump.
Meanwhile, federal workers, including TSA agents, air traffic controllers, and U.S. troops, are having to show up to work each day without knowing when they will receive their next paycheck.
Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has emerged as an unlikely voice of reason on the matter, encouraging her own party on Friday to end the shutdown.
“These are single moms that, you know, people have hit hard times over the past four years because of inflation, and the cost of living is extremely high right now,” the congresswoman said about WIC benefits being suspended during the shutdown. “And so I don’t think that these vulnerable Americans should pay the price because of politics in Washington, D.C. I believe that soon, the Republican senators need to actually grow some courage and a spine.”
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