Bill Maher complimented California Governor Gavin Newsom for attempting to ‘out-stupid’ Donald Trump through his recent social media depictions of the president.

Over the past week, Newsom’s press team has been regularly releasing tweets mimicking Trump’s unique and bombastic style to demonstrate some resistance from an increasingly unpopular Democratic Party.

‘Gavin Newsom has started playing a new game. He’s now trolling Trump. This is something I’ve never witnessed a Democrat doing before. I find it very amusing,’ Maher remarked during Friday’s installment of his show ‘Real Time with Bill Maher.’

‘Newsom is replicating Trump’s precise style in some of his tweets,’ the comedian continued before citing examples of Newsom’s posts.

‘Here’s a tweet from 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.”‘

Newsom has also stirred controversy by posting AI-generated images – one showed a promotional photo endorsed by Kid Rock, and another depicted the musician, Tucker Carlson, and the late Hulk Hogan with a halo and angel wings, praying over the governor.

Maher explained that Newsom’s social media strategy has grasped a part of American culture that Democrats need to understand.

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

Bill Maher praised California Governor Gavin Newsom for trying to ‘out-stupid’ Donald Trump by imitating the president on social media

Maher said he has ‘never seen a Democrat’ take Newsom’s social media approach and believes he has figured out a way to ‘out-stupid’ Trump 

Newsom has been using his Trump style social media posts to engage in a tit-for-tat gerrymandering battle against Republicans.

A day after the Texas State House approved a redistricting plan Trump thinks will eventually lead to Republicans gaining 100 seats in Congress, Newsom signed a law allowing California voters to decide whether the blue state will do the same.

The governor celebrated by trotting out his new social media impression yet again.

The Republican-controlled legislature in Texas passed a redrawn congressional map that heavily favors the GOP going into the midterm elections in 2026.

The redistricting bill, which could hand Republicans five more seats in the House of Representatives next year, now heads to Governor Greg Abbott’s desk.

The move has sent Democrats spiraling and vowing to fight the redistricting by redrawing boundaries in their own states.

Abbott said in a statement Saturday morning that he would ‘swiftly’ pass the piece of legislation. He’s expected to sign it sometime next week.

‘The One Big Beautiful Map has passed the Senate and is on its way to my desk, where it will be swiftly signed into law,’ Abbott said.

Newsom’s press office has consistently put out tweets aping the bombastic and singular style of Trump

Democratic governors in Illinois, Maryland and New York have also suggested they could be open to redrawing their maps to add more Democratic-leaning districts.

‘Game on,’ New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on X Wednesday after the Texas House passed its new maps.

The White House, in turn, is looking to states such as Missouri, Florida, Indiana and South Carolina — where Republicans have total control over the state governments — to add more favorable GOP districts.

This fight, which is increasingly spilling over into many states, is seen by both parties as crucial in winning the midterms.

The opposing party to the newly elected president typically does well in midterm elections.

This is something Trump is aware of since it happened to him in 2018 when Democrats picked up a whopping 40 seats in the House, giving them a majority.

This led to Trump’s agenda being stymied and allowed Democrats to pursue two impeachments against him, something he is anxious to avoid in 2026.