California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office has publicly manhandled the White House’s latest attempt at a feel-good Donald Trump and Melania reboot.
Melania’s sudden return to the White House publicity machine gave Newsom the chance to mock the D.C. power couple image.
The official White House X account posted a polished image of Donald and Melania Trump walking hand in hand after signing an executive order. The post drew 42,000 likes.
Newsom’s press office promptly hijacked the moment, reposting the White House’s romantic snapshot next to a photo of Trump looking friendly with Jeffrey Epstein. Their version pulled in 170,000 likes. “The internet knows who the real power couple is,” the account declared, openly celebrating the ratio.
The timing was not subtle. Trump has spent the past week under renewed scrutiny over his long-documented ties to Epstein. On Nov. 12, more than 20,000 pages of documents from Epstein’s estate were released, including an email in which Epstein wrote, “i want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is trump..[Victim] spent hours at my house with him.”
Trump initially blasted the release as a “hoax,” but then urged House Republicans to vote on releasing the records.
Melania’s sudden reemergence in the administration’s public messaging only added fuel to the fire. She is rarely visible even in the best of circumstances; a New York Times report in May estimated she spent fewer than 14 of Trump’s first 108 days in office at the White House.
Still, the West Wing leaned in. The day after the executive order signing, the White House posted a photo of the couple, captioned with Elvis Presley song, “I can’t help falling in love with you.” Two days later came another, labeling the pair “America’s power couple.”
The internet—and Newsom—promptly shredded the rollout. As one user put it, summarizing the sentiment that powered Newsom’s ratio: “Worst attempt at damage control in history.”
