Newsom’s Taxpayer-Funded Troll Machine EXPOSED

A Democratic mayor just broke ranks to expose how California’s governor is wasting taxpayer dollars on social media fights while families struggle with skyrocketing costs and crumbling communities.

Story Snapshot

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, a Democrat, publicly rebuked Governor Gavin Newsom for prioritizing Twitter trolling over solving California’s housing crisis, unemployment, and homelessness epidemic
Newsom’s office spent state resources launching websites and AI-generated memes attacking President Trump and conservative figures instead of implementing voter-approved crime measures
The rare intra-party criticism highlights how Sacramento’s obsession with national grandstanding leaves local communities without critical mental health and public safety funding
Businesses like Bed Bath & Beyond are skipping California reopenings entirely, citing the state’s hostile regulatory environment that Newsom ignores while fighting online battles

Democrat Mayor Demands Sacramento Focus on Real Problems

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan published a scathing op-ed in the San Francisco Standard calling out Governor Newsom’s misplaced priorities. Mahan warned that Californians “cannot confuse internet rhetoric with real world results” as the state grapples with the nation’s highest housing costs and energy prices. His criticism targets Newsom’s aggressive social media strategy that mirrors the combative tactics Democrats once condemned. While Sacramento wages digital war against Republicans, San Jose residents face unchecked homelessness and rising crime that demands immediate action, not snarky tweets.

Taxpayer-Funded Trolling Operation Exposed

Newsom’s press office transformed state resources into a political attack machine throughout 2025 and into 2026. The governor launched a website tracking what he labeled Trump’s “criminal cronies,” featuring AI-generated images mocking presidential pardons for approximately 1,500 January 6 defendants. On New Year’s Day 2026, his office unleashed a trolling barrage targeting President Trump, Representative Kevin Kiley, and conservative commentator Chaya Raichik of Libs of TikTok. GOP strategist Rob Stutzman condemned these tactics as “perpetuating Trump denigration” of institutional norms while using taxpayer funds for partisan warfare.

California’s Business Climate Disaster Worsens

Mahan’s critique gained urgency when Bed Bath & Beyond announced it would reopen stores nationwide but skip California entirely. The decision underscores how Newsom’s regulatory hostility and governance failures drive businesses away while he crafts memes instead of solutions. California houses nearly half the nation’s homeless population, yet the governor diverts attention to launching a “MAGA-inspired Patriot Shop” website in August 2025 to troll Trump. Mahan demanded Sacramento implement Proposition 36, the voter-approved tough-on-crime measure requiring mental health and drug treatment funding that remains stalled while Newsom wages social media battles.

Intra-Party Rebellion Signals Broader Frustration

The mayor’s public rebuke represents rare Democratic dissent against Newsom’s leadership style. Mahan’s op-ed contrasts local executives managing constituent crises with state leadership prioritizing national profile-building through digital combat. While Newsom positions California as the “resistance” against President Trump’s second term, everyday residents suffer unemployment rates and energy costs that demand policy solutions, not performative outrage. This disconnect between Sacramento’s theatrics and communities’ needs exposes how progressive governance substitutes virtue signaling for competent administration, leaving working families to bear the consequences.

San Jose mayor blasts Newsom’s obsession with ‘internet trolling’ over results https://t.co/EUZ4ERIn85 pic.twitter.com/cyqMYlapRF

— New York Post (@nypost) January 30, 2026

The conflict illuminates a fundamental problem plaguing blue-state governance: leaders more invested in partisan posturing than constitutional duties to protect citizens’ welfare and economic liberty. As President Trump advances policies promoting American prosperity, California’s governor squanders resources on petty feuds while his state crumbles under failed progressive experiments in housing policy, criminal justice, and fiscal management that voters increasingly reject.