Gavin Newsom Responds To Donald Trump’s New Nickname For Him

There is no love lost between California Governor Gavin Newsom and former President Donald Trump.

Over the years, the two have had verbal battles over climate change, forest management, federal assistance and reality TV, but recently Trump has heightened — or lowered — his rhetoric to name calling, dubbing the leader of the country’s most populous state “Newscum.”

It’s a moniker not unfamiliar to denizens of the social media world and probably not a surprise, given the former Celebrity Apprentice host’s penchant for giving his political targets nicknames. It certainly didn’t surprise Newsom, who was asked about it on Jen Psaki‘s Inside on MSNBC yesterday.

“It’s very familiar to me,” Newsom said of Trump’s dig, recalling where he had previously heard the term. “I think it was a seventh or eighth grader that called me ‘Newscum.’ Now it’s a 78-year-old. You know, maybe you could describe him also as a man-child of sorts. I mean, it’s really, this is — what an embarrassment.”

Possibly even less creative was Trump’s attack today on his opponent in the presidential race. At a rally in Pennsylvania, he told supporters that Kamala Harris is further left than “Crazy Bernie” Sanders, calling her a “shit vice president.”

Newsom, who has certainly criticized Trump and also lauded him at points, said he didn’t think the grade-school name calling was helpful.

“I don’t talk down to people — past people, people who support me, people who don’t support me. That’s the American thing to do. It’s about community,” he said.