California Governor Gavin Newsom drew national attention by posting an artificial intelligence-generated video portraying former President Donald Trump alongside conservative commentators Pete Hegseth and Stephen Miller in handcuffs, part of a spirited digital exchange between the governor and the White House.

The video—released on Newsom’s social media channels—used AI tools to dramatise the scene with the figures cuffed and handcuffed amid a humorous caption about “cuffing season,” a cultural reference drawn from popular entertainment and satire.

The move came amid heightened online tensions between Newsom and President Trump’s administration, with each side using AI-generated visuals and edited media to taunt the other over policy disputes and political positioning.

Newsom’s video was widely shared on platforms such as X, where it quickly drew commentary from supporters and opponents alike.

Newsom’s team has increasingly embraced digitally driven satire in recent months, deploying AI imagery and memes to respond to political developments and White House social-media posts.

This latest video follows a pattern of exchanges in which both figures leverage evolving technology to bolster their messaging and rally their respective bases.

The governor’s satire comes at a time when the White House itself has been criticised for its use of AI and altered media in communications, particularly in posts related to immigration enforcement that repurposed popular music and clips to promote U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.

These back-and-forth digital tactics illustrate how political discourse is evolving into highly visual, AI-augmented arenas that blur the lines between satire, commentary and political narrative.

Reactions to Newsom’s handcuffs video varied sharply along partisan lines.

Supporters praised the governor’s creative rebuttal to White House messaging, while critics denounced it as inappropriate and disrespectful.

The broader political conversation around AI-generated content in American politics continues to intensify as both elected officials and commentators debate the ethical and communicative implications of these tools.

As the 2028 presidential cycle draws nearer, and with both Trump and Newsom maintaining prominent national profiles, the digital duel between the two remains emblematic of the broader cultural and political battles playing out across social media and beyond.