I'm very curious what Newsom is even trying to do here. I feel like people who like Newsom wouldn't even wear the parody of a red Trump had just because of the potential of being though of as a Trump supporter by someone unaware of the joke. This reads to me as horribly and pathetically desperate to stay relevant.
Well...Trump fucking works, he wins. Trying to copy his shtick isn't the worst idea. That said, this is fun, but I think it misses the point in a fundamental way. Trump is self-aggrandizing, but the absolutely most famous piece of merch is the MAGA hat. That stands for "make America great again". That is a succinct philosophy and point of view you can buy into independent of any individual politician, and it's enough to drive an entire movement. It has Trump at the helm, but people see him as the champion of something bigger, and if they don't like how he does things, they
will turn on him. It's like the antifan pattern Null talks about, your biggest alogs will be people who used to like you, but whom you have alienated. Fuentes fits this perfectly, although with the whole fed thing it's not clear how genuine his takes are anymore, but he's not the only one. There are people who thought the movement would be one thing, and when Trump has taken it in a different direction, they leave. It's another thing that people around here can miss, but fair enough, if you don't get the appeal then...you're not gonna get the appeal; so they think it's only a personality cult. But in Trump's most mocked, self-aggrandizing moments, he's still got a clear vision you can buy into or not, he just positions himself with comical zeal as uniquely able to realize it.
So..."Newsom was right about everything". What, exactly? Newsom, what is your governing philosophy? What drives you? When I pledge my undying loyalty and offer to follow you to the ends of the earth...where are we going? It's fun to clown on Trump, but that's all this is. Even if Newsom does become the next president, it's abundantly clear that he's not starting a new movement, he's not going to redefine the Democratic party or American politics. If you don't have a positive vision to offer, then you're just campaigning on the unpopularity of Trump, and at that point copying all his mannerisms seems like a political strategy that could easily backfire.
But whatever. He's got time to pivot into something else. Once anyone other than Kamela starts topping Democratic primary polls you'll know it's time to get serious, because there's no fucking way she's the nominee again.
Edit: I just thought of something. This would be really fucking sad, but maybe he just wants some cash and he figures he can sell a bunch of these quick. I'd like to think it's cynical political manoeuvring, but you can't discount the possibility it's an even more cynical fundraiser. Well, MAGA hats aren't cheap either...
