California Governor Gavin Newsom has fully embraced the world of memes — and this time, he’s using AI to target Donald Trump directly after the former president went viral for calling a female reporter “piggy.”
The incident unfolded Friday, when Trump snapped at veteran White House reporter Catherine Lucey during a tense exchange.
The reporter had started asking, “If there’s nothing incriminating in the files, sir, why not…” before Trump abruptly interrupted her.
“Quiet. Quiet, piggy,” he said — a remark that immediately exploded online, quickly becoming a viral sensation across social media platforms.
The confrontation took place on Air Force One on November 14, as Trump fielded questions regarding recently released emails connected to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender who died in prison in 2019.
For California Governor Gavin Newsom, known for his sharp political instincts, the timing was perfect. Seeing an opportunity to respond to Trump in kind — and with a dose of humor — Newsom’s team decided to fire back in a way that could only exist in the age of social media: with memes and AI-powered imagery.
Once the clip of Trump’s remark began trending, Newsom’s official press office quickly went to work on X (formerly Twitter). Leveraging AI tools, they rolled out a barrage of highly creative and exaggerated images designed to lampoon the former president.
The first image depicted Trump as a literal pig, proudly holding a golden blueprint for an Oval Office renovation — a nod to his well-known fascination with gold-plated everything. It was visually absurd, humorous, and immediately recognizable as a jab at his extravagant style.
The trolling escalated quickly. Another post satirized Trump’s obsession with media attention, presenting a mock magazine cover featuring him, pig ears and all, again leaning into the viral “piggy” theme. Each image played off both the viral moment and the public’s awareness of Trump’s larger-than-life persona.
But Newsom’s press office didn’t stop there. One of the most provocative images seemed almost real: a photo of Trump alongside Jeffrey Epstein, captioned simply, “piggies.” The post struck a pointed commentary, linking Trump’s viral insult to the ongoing scrutiny over Epstein’s files. The post spread quickly, garnering both outrage and amusement across the political spectrum.
Meanwhile, the White House sought to defend the former president’s comment. By Wednesday, an official statement framed the incident as the reporter overstepping her bounds:
“This reporter behaved in an inappropriate and unprofessional way toward her colleagues on the plane,” the statement read. “If you’re going to give it, you have to be able to take it.”
In the same week, Trump addressed the much-discussed Epstein files himself. On Wednesday night, he announced via Truth Social that he had signed legislation allowing the Justice Department to release documents tied to Epstein:
“I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!” he wrote in a lengthy post. “As everyone knows, I asked Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, to pass this Bill in the House and Senate, respectively. Because of this request, the votes were almost unanimous in favor of passage.
“At my direction, the Department of Justice has already turned over close to fifty thousand pages of documents to Congress. Do not forget — The Biden Administration did not turn over a SINGLE file or page related to Democrat Epstein, nor did they ever even speak about him.”
The saga highlighted the intersection of politics, social media, and modern AI technology, showing how quickly a single remark can spark a flurry of viral memes, political commentary, and public debate. For Newsom, the move cemented his presence in the digital political arena, leveraging humor, timing, and technology to respond to a moment that could not be ignored.