Gavin Newsom has taken aim at Joe Rogan, slamming the podcaster as "worse than 'chicken'" for not inviting the California governor on his show.
In an escalation of their yearslong feud, Newsom's official press office launched a social media blitz Friday, labeling Rogan "TOFU" and "Little Guy" while claiming the host is too afraid to engage him in person.
"'Little Guy' Joe Rogan is too scared to have me on, but he wont stop talking about me," Newsom's high-profile press office trolling feed posted on X.
Newsom, adopting a more aggressive stance, used his official platform to call out Rogan for avoiding a direct encounter while the host continues to criticize him from afar.
"If the 'Little Guy' is ready to get out of his booster seat and have me on, i will even let him have three lifelines to phone a friend during the show when he needs help," the official Governor Newsom Press Office post continued.
The taunt also included a sarcastic physical concession: "I'll even stay seated. Until then, he is worse than 'chicken.' He is TOFU! Thank you for your attention to this matter – Governor GCN."
Newsom's office also used X to claim that "Joe 'Little Guy' Rogan is too chicken to have me on his failing podcast because he know I'd crush him, so he takes cheap shots from the peanut gallery as he gets relegated to irrelevancy."
This follows an unsuccessful attempt in October last year to secure a spot on the "Joe Rogan Experience," where Newsom's office tried to counter the host's criticisms with a wall of California state statistics, Deadline reported.
Rogan has made his disdain for the governor just as clear, having famously exited the Golden State for Texas years ago.
In clips cited during this latest exchange, Rogan trashed the Newsom as a "f***ing con man" and a "stone-cold, narrative-driven politician."
Rogan's criticism targets Newsom on a personal level, specifically contrasting his public image with that of other political figures.
"Whether you like [President Donald] Trump or not, whether you think he's corrupt or not, that's a human being," Rogan said in a past clip. "With Newsom, you've got like this construct, this cardboard cutout of a person."
In his latest post, Newsom stated that Rogan "is obsessed with my 'good looks,' just like Jesse 'see you in court' Watters. A little weird, but thank you!"
The April 30 post that kicked off this latest round of insults summarized Newsom's stance on the matter: "All talk, no action. I'm ready when you are, 'Little Guy.' or keep hiding!!!! — Governor GCN."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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