Gavin Newsom has put Eric Trump on blast for promoting a “grift”—drawing a barbed retort from the president’s son.
“The Government is shut down, people are getting laid off, health care is becoming more expensive and the ‘ruling’ family is out promoting their next grift,” the California governor’s press office wrote on X Tuesday.
Newsom, 58, was responding to a video Eric, 41, posted to X, in which he peddled his memoir, Under Siege: My Family’s Fight to Save Our Nation. The book hit stores across the country on Tuesday.
Standing in a seemingly empty Barnes & Noble in Palm Beach Gardens, Eric urged people to stop by and pick up signed copies of his book. The synopsis describes it as an “unfiltered look at the highs and lows of life in the Trump world.”
Donald Trump—accustomed to pushing family ventures despite ethical questions—also got in on the action Tuesday, posting a picture of himself holding the book on Truth Social.
“Don’t forget to get a copy of my son Eric’s book, ‘UNDER SIEGE,’ which is breaking records everywhere. It’s a phenomenal book, that’s a must read for everyone—Congratulations Eric, you deserve it!!!” he wrote, adding an Amazon link to the $22 book.
Newsom’s post branding the memoir a “grift” didn’t land well with Eric, who fired back at the Democratic governor Tuesday afternoon.
“Ironic coming from the government official eating at The French Laundry during the COVID shutdown in violation of his own public health guidelines,” he replied to Newsom’s post.
Eric is referring to Newsom’s infamous outing at the three-Michelin star Napa Valley restaurant The French Laundry in November 2020.
Ironic coming from the government official eating at The French Laundry during the COVID shutdown in violation of his own public health guidelines. https://t.co/X8LU5FWqfl
— Eric Trump (@EricTrump) October 14, 2025
The governor was caught dining with a dozen friends after discouraging Californians from socializing outside their households for months. He later apologized, calling the dinner a “bad mistake.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to Newsom’s office for comment.
Since Trump’s return to the White House, Newsom has embraced an aggressive social media strategy, becoming a persistent thorn in the Trump family’s side.
He trolled the president on Friday, after a 30-second ad for $500 Trump Watches appeared on Newsmax’s airwaves.
“NO HEALTH CARE FOR YOU BUT YOU MUST BUY MY WATCH!!” Newsom wrote on X, copying Trump’s signature all-caps style on social media.
On Sunday, Newsom called the president out for golfing the second weekend of the shutdown.
He shut down YOUR government. He increased the cost of YOUR health care.He raised YOUR taxes, while cutting taxes for billionaires. Now he’s golfing. https://t.co/agyGPnMlIL
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) October 12, 2025
Newsom has repeatedly highlighted Republicans’ refusal to extend expiring Obamacare subsidies, which Democrats insist must be included in any short-term spending deal.
2025 has been an extremely lucrative year for the Trumps. The family has often leveraged the presidency to its advantage and ballooned its wealth by the billions, raking in $5 billion following the launch of public trading on their new cryptocurrency in August.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
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