Gavin Newsom roasts Karoline Leavitt with Labor Day ‘Hunger Games’ meme

Gavin Newsom roasts Karoline Leavitt with Labor Day ‘Hunger Games’ meme
Gavin Newsom trolled Karoline Leavitt with a Labor Day meme, which sparked online backlash and ridicule (X/@GovPressOffice, Getty Images)

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA: California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office sparked headlines on Labor Day after posting a meme targeting White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, depicting her as Effie Trinket, the eccentric aide to a tyrannical regime in 'The Hunger Games.'

The jab marked the latest in a string of trolling posts by Newsom’s office aimed at officials in the Trump administration, using pop culture references to draw unflattering comparisons.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference to kick off the Yes on 50 campaign at the California Democratic Party Headquarters on August 21, 2025 in Sacramento, California. In a move to counter Texas House Republicans’ plan to redraw the state’s congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, California Democrats took up a proposed constitutional amendment to temporarily redraw their own congressional maps, potentially creating five additional U.S. House seats for their party. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
California Gov Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference to kick off the Yes on 50 campaign at the California Democratic Party Headquarters on August 21, 2025 in Sacramento, California (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Gavin Newsom likens Karoline Leavitt to Effie Trinket in pointed Labor Day meme

The Newsom press office shared an image of Karoline Leavitt photoshopped as Effie Trinket, holding a sign that read, “Happy Labor Day.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt takes a question from a reporter during the daily press briefing at the White House on February 12, 2025 in Washington, DC. Leavitt spoke on the prisoner release from Russia, the war in Ukraine, inflation, and took questions on other topics. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt takes a question from a reporter during the daily press briefing at the White House on February 12, 2025 in Washington, DC (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The caption, “KAROLYIN’ LEAVITT says Happy Labor Day!,” appeared to equate the Trump administration to the fictional regime led by President Snow in Suzanne Collins’ dystopian series.



 

Trinket, played by Elizabeth Banks in the films, serves as the extravagant mouthpiece of an authoritarian government that forces teenagers to fight to the death in a brutal spectacle known as the Hunger Games. 

U.S. President Donald Trump, joined by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, speaks to the media as he departs the White House on July 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump is traveling to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to speak at an artificial intelligence and energy summit. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump, joined by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, speaks to the media as he departs the White House on July 15, 2025 in Washington, DC (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The comparison suggested Leavitt, 28, is a loyal servant to a similarly oppressive power structure.

Newsom’s social media post targeting the White House press secretary sparked sharp backlash online, with critics blasting the tone as petty, creepy, and even racist.

One user said, “Wow that’s racist.” Others piled on, calling the account “creepy at this point” and “more pathetic by the post.”  



 



 

Another mocked, “They need new they thems to run Gavin’s account.” One more quipped, “You’re so bent out of shape that this young, smart, blonde mom is crushing it as press secretary. Is Gavin making you fight for her job?”



 



 

Gavin Newsom adopts Trump-style trolling to ‘hold a mirror to MAGA’

Over the past month, Gavin Newsom has intensified his social media offensive through both his personal account and his press office, mimicking Donald Trump’s all-caps rants and theatrical rhetoric. He frequently calls himself “America’s favorite governor” in parody posts.

“HAPPY LABOR DAY TO ALL, INCLUDING THE SCUM THAT IS TRYING TO DESTROY OUR COUNTRY WITH A SICK WARPED RADICAL MIND,” the Newsom press office wrote. The account also posted a meme likening White House aide Stephen Miller to the 'Harry Potter' villain Lord Voldemort, continuing its theme of pop-culture mockery.



 

Karoline Leavitt, who joined the Trump campaign in 2024 and quickly rose to become press secretary, has earned frequent praise from the president. Earlier this month, Trump described her as sharp and fast on her feet: “It’s that face. It’s that brain. It’s those lips, the way they move. They move like she’s a machine gun.”

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.

Share this article:  Gavin Newsom roasts Karoline Leavitt with Labor Day ‘Hunger Games’ meme