Bill Maher cheers on Gavin Newsom's Trump-trolling antics as POTUS fires back at governor's ‘bulls**t’

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Bill Maher is here for Governor Gavin Newsom’s antics.

The 'Real Time' host couldn’t hide his delight on Friday, August 22, praising California’s governor for trying to “out-stupid” President Donald Trump online.

“I’ve never seen a Democrat do this. I think it’s very funny… he’s imitating Trump’s exact style,” Maher said, calling Newsom’s parody posts “very funny.”

The HBO host even read aloud one of the zingers from Newsom’s press office.

“This is Newsom, ‘and he will fail as he always does, sad. And I, the peacetime governor, our nation’s favorite, will save America once again. Many are calling me the, you know, Gavin Newsom, many say the most loved and handsome governor,’” it said.

Gavin Newsom ramps up parody push

Gavin Newsom has made it clear he’s on a mission to “put a mirror to Trump.” That’s meant everything from mocking Trump’s all-caps online rants to dropping AI-generated images roasting the GOP and even Trump’s celebrity pals like Kid Rock.

“I know there are some people who are offended by our all-caps parody of Trump, but I thought it’s time to put a mirror to Trump,” Newsom told MeidasTouch Network’s Adam Mockler.

The campaign is less about comedy and more about strategy, at least according to Newsom. “The point is to make the point about what is going on in this country,” he explained. “You have the president of the United States that’s acting like a child, and you’ve got the chatbots on Fox that repeat 24/7 and are weaponizing his grievances, attacking vulnerable people, traumatizing communities.”

He also took the chance to rally Democrats into action. “We need to stand up, all of us, at this moment. Less judgment, more fortitude,” he said. “Meet this moment, not for ourselves, but for each other, for this country.”

Trump fires back at Gavin Newsom

Of course, Donald Trump didn’t take the trolling lying down. Speaking to reporters at the White House, he blasted the governor as “incompetent.”

“The governor is incompetent,” Trump declared. “I know Gavin very well. He’s an incompetent guy with a good line of bulls**t — and he doesn’t get the job done.”

Newsom fired back by channeling Trump himself on X (formerly Twitter). “Such low energy. SAD!” he quipped.

The feud spilled onto Truth Social days later, with Trump doubling down.

“Gavin Newscum is way down in the polls,” the president wrote. “He is viewed as the man who is destroying the once Great State of California. I will save California!!! President DJT.”

Newsom responded with a simple screenshot and captioned it, “Triggered.”

Bill Maher weighs in on Newsom's strategy

Bill Maher thinks Gavin Newsom may have finally cracked the code for Democrats.

“I feel like Gavin has grasped the essential thing about American culture in this day and age,” Maher said. “Don’t try to outsmart people. You have to out-stupid them.”

But Maher didn’t just stop at praising Newsom. He also tossed out a warning for Democrats, saying Trump’s eyeing another unexpected voting bloc. The commander-in-chief recently floated loosening federal marijuana restrictions, and Maher joked that he took it personally.

“Finally, he got around to me!” the comedian laughed.