Newsom Trolls Trump’s Thirsty Bromance with Kim Jong Un

California Gov. Gavin Newsom didn’t hold back Monday as he mocked President Donald Trump’s latest praise of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, comparing the president’s rhetoric to full-blown authoritarian worship.

Trump: I have a great relationship with Kim Jong Un. I understand him. I spent a lot of free time with him talking about things that we probably aren't supposed to talk about pic.twitter.com/1reTdCx814

— FactPost (@factpostnews) August 25, 2025

Trump, speaking from the Oval Office earlier in the day, boasted about his “very special relationship” with Kim, calling the dictator “smart” and saying he “looks forward to seeing him soon.”

“I know him better than almost anyone,” Trump declared. “Other than his sister — his sister knows him pretty well.”

The comments come as tensions on the Korean Peninsula have escalated sharply in recent months, with South Korea warning that North Korea has expanded both its nuclear arsenal and missile range since Trump returned to office in January.

Hours after Trump’s remarks, the U.S. Department of Labor unveiled a massive new banner across its D.C. headquarters, showing Trump’s scowling face beside the slogan “AMERICAN WORKERS FIRST,” positioned next to an image of Theodore Roosevelt.

Newsom responded on X with a blistering parody of Trump’s own social-media style. Posting a photo of a Pyongyang mural depicting Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, he wrote simply:

“THANK YOU, GLORIOUS LEADER!”

THANK YOU, GLORIOUS LEADER! https://t.co/4ew9jyDDGp pic.twitter.com/B0DY09r6iN

— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) August 25, 2025

The California governor’s jab immediately went viral, racking up millions of views in less than an hour. Progressive commentators applauded the move, calling it “a perfect takedown,” while Trump allies accused Newsom of “undermining U.S. diplomacy.”

Trump again brought up Kim during a later Oval Office meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung. According to reporters in the room, Lee expressed concern over North Korea’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.

“North Korea has developed further its nuclear and missile capabilities over the past four years,” Lee warned.

But Trump brushed off concerns, saying he wants another face-to-face summit with Kim:

“I have a great relationship with Kim Jong Un. I understand him. We spent a lot of free time together talking about things we probably shouldn’t talk about.”

Critics immediately slammed the comments as reckless. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) accused Trump of “playing footsie with a dictator while ignoring America’s security interests,” while former CIA analyst Sue Mi Terry warned on MSNBC that Trump’s “personal obsession with Kim has historically undermined international pressure campaigns.”

This isn’t the first time Newsom has accused Trump of authoritarian tendencies. Back in June, Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard troops into Los Angeles to suppress largely peaceful anti-ICE protests, sparking national outrage. Newsom responded then with a fiery post:

“These are the acts of a dictator, not a President.”

Democrats see Trump’s latest comments on Kim as part of a broader pattern — one in which the president praises autocrats while clashing with U.S. allies and institutions.

As Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) put it Monday night:

“It’s 2025, and we’re watching an American president act like a fanboy for a North Korean dictator. We cannot normalize this.”

South Korean officials are reportedly pushing for a trilateral summit with Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to reassert U.S. commitments to regional security. But sources inside the White House tell CNN that Trump is more focused on staging another high-profile meeting with Kim Jong Un — potentially as early as this fall.

For now, Newsom’s trolling underscores a growing Democratic strategy: meet Trump’s rhetoric with sharp, viral attacks designed to keep the spotlight on his increasingly controversial foreign policy moves.