California Governor Gavin Newsom just proved he’s not about to sit quietly while Fox News takes shots at him. After days of relentless criticism from late-night host Greg Gutfeld—who went so far as to call him a “coward” on The Five—Newsom has struck back, not only clapping back at the Fox personality but also saddling him with a cutting nickname that’s already sparking buzz online: “GarbageMan Greg.”

Gavin Newsom

The feud boiled over on August 20, when Newsom unleashed a scathing post on X (formerly Twitter) that directly mocked Gutfeld’s style—and, in a twist, spoofed Donald Trump’s trademark all-caps, insult-driven rants.

“I SELDOM WATCH LOW-RATED ‘GARBAGEMAN’ GREG GUTFELD BUT, WHEN I DO, I MARVEL AT THE FAKE LAUGHTER ON THE SHOW. IT SOUNDS LIKE A BAD ‘LAUGH MACHINE,’ IT’S SO OBNOXIOUS AND DISGUSTING, JUST LIKE HIM, ALWAYS LAUGHING NO MATTER WHAT IS SAID,” Newsom wrote.

But the governor didn’t stop there. Channeling Trump’s cadence to the letter, he continued:

“REAL PATRIOTS HATE IT WHEN FOX (‘EDITS THE TAPES’) PUTS GARBAGEMAN GREG ON. FOX OUGHT TO ‘GET SMART’, AND NOT USE LOSERS LIKE THIS. ALSO, THEY SHOULDN’T ALLOW NEGATIVE ADS ABOUT ME. THANK YOU! – GCN.”

The mocking initials “GCN” were the cherry on top, as Newsom essentially played Trump’s game against him, using exaggeration, humor, and derision to turn Gutfeld’s words back around.

Gavin Newsom's tweet about Greg Gutfeld

The Flashpoint: A Deadly Crash and California’s Policies

Greg Gutfeld

This exchange didn’t come out of nowhere. On August 18, Gutfeld joined Jesse Watters, Katie Pavlich, and Harold Ford Jr. on The Five to discuss a devastating Florida crash involving Harjinder Singh, an undocumented immigrant accused of killing three people after making an illegal U-turn in his truck.

Homeland Security later confirmed Singh had obtained his commercial driver’s license in California, and Fox’s panel immediately tied the policy allowing undocumented immigrants to secure licenses back to Newsom.

Gutfeld didn’t mince words. He said Newsom was “toast,” accused him of “doing more work avoiding work,” and labeled him a “coward,” arguing that even if Newsom wasn’t governor when Singh received his license, he embraced the policies that allowed it.

Fox Doubles Down, Newsom Doubles Back

It wasn’t just Gutfeld. On his late-night show days earlier, Gutfeld!, panel guests piled on. Comedian Harland Williams dismissed Newsom as “oily and greasy,” while journalist Michele Tafoya called him “slimy” and “sleazy.” Gutfeld chuckled along, amplifying the mockery.

But instead of ignoring the insults, Newsom hit back with fire of his own—flipping the script by branding Gutfeld with his own headline-ready nickname. And judging by how fast “GarbageMan Greg” began trending on political corners of X, Newsom’s clapback struck a nerve.

What’s Next in the Newsom-Gutfeld Showdown?

Whether this was a one-off rant or the opening round of a longer war of words, one thing is clear: Gavin Newsom is testing a new rhetorical weapon—mockery delivered with Trumpian flair. By taking on Fox News in their own language, he’s daring his critics to laugh a little less at him, and perhaps a little more at themselves.

For Greg Gutfeld, the insult may sting. After all, nobody wants to be remembered as the “GarbageMan” of cable news. But for Newsom, the play might be working exactly as intended: flipping a Fox talking point into a headline that belongs to him.