Great News! It’s Legal to Mock Gavin Newsom Again

The art of satire is one of America’s oldest endearing qualities, and it’s one that predates the Revolutionary War that birthed our quest for independence in 1776. 

Whether sung in verse, printed in newspapers or pamphlets, or spoken aloud in speeches, there is a lot of power in mocking leaders when that power is exercised appropriately.  

Benjamin Franklin was by no means first to throw rhetorical jabs at mad King George, but he was among the more effective in the drive to build moral courage in his fellow colonists to consider leaving the British Crown. He penned “The King’s Own Regulars”, a song whose lyrics were printed in newspapers up and down the colonies. Here’s one of the verses. 

Since you all will have singing, and won’t be said nay, / I cannot refuse, when you ask for a lay; / Then without more ado, I’ll give you a song, / About King George’s troops, who think they are strong.

This week, we just lost another witty musician who used satire to spoof both politics, current events, and even musical styles for the better part of a century. Tom Lehrer, 40 years after the first reports of his passing were greatly exaggerated, succumbed at the age of 97. America’s greatest living satirist, Mel Brooks, turned 99 a couple months ago, and he’s still going strong. There are previews online to get you hyped for Spaceballs II, which is set to hit theaters in 2027. 

You’ll notice the qualifier I inserted at the beginning of this, about how effective the art of satire, parody, and mocking is when done appropriately. What’s the main ingredient for it to be efficacious? It has to be funny. Tragically, this is a lesson that was not learned either by Stephen Colbert or Howard Stern, both hitting the exits when their contracts are up. It’s a simple rule, really. If it’s funny, it sells. If it’s not funny, it’s MSNBC. And who wants more of that?

In the online world, the single best creator of funny parody material, quality and quantity, is the Babylon Bee. Now I don’t mean for this column to become an advertisement for the Bee, but they do factor into where I’m going with this column. I’m just going to pick three headlines from the last 24 hours that they’re featuring. Actually, even with a plethora of absurdity to cover in the news this week, I’m going to give you the three best Bee headlines on one subject – Donald Trump’s trip to the roof of the White House Tuesday. 

Uh-Oh: Trump Just Watched New ‘Superman’ And Now He’s On The Roof With A Red Blanket Tied Around His Neck https://t.co/FGv2XBkiKM pic.twitter.com/uPisFVo0Yg

— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) August 6, 2025

Satan Takes Trump To Roof Of White House To Offer Him All The Kingdoms Of The World https://t.co/yBmDSVDFXI pic.twitter.com/gByoWPxBKE

— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) August 5, 2025

Secret Service In Awe As Trump Walks On Moderately Sloped Roof https://t.co/5wCMkWTSyT pic.twitter.com/QGq1Sm3txu

— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) August 5, 2025

I’m sorry, but this last one is my favorite, because it is martini dry gallows humor about that fateful day in Butler, Pennsylvania a little over a year ago that almost took Donald Trump’s life. Remember all that nonsense peddled to us about how the slope of the roof the shooter was laying on was too steep for Secret Service to navigate, so that’s why they didn’t clear it before Trump took to the podium? The Bee’s humor here is a precision drone strike at how absurd the security was around that rally. 

About a year ago, after Joe Biden was forced to walk the plank by Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, polling, and virtually every major Democratic Party donor, Kamala Harris was ushered in as the One who was born for this moment. The mockery of Kamala began well before she became vice-president, and intensified every time she opened her mouth and a word souffle devoid of any caloric content came out. She became a comedy writer’s dream in the fall of 2024 as the Democratic nominee. 

Chris Kohls, who goes by the handle Mr. Reagan on X, put up this AI-infused parody video in late July of 2024. 

Gavin Newsom just signed a bill making memes and parody illegal in his state because of this video.

Gavin will be very mad if this video went viral again! pic.twitter.com/FI0KY866eO

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) September 18, 2024

Gavin Newsom, California’s Burgermeister Meisterburger-Governor, thought that was outrageous, and stated it should be illegal. He, along with the Democratic California legislature, enacted three different laws that outlawed AI parody deepfakes. He got into a public spat with Elon Musk of X, who challenged it in court. The Babylon Bee, by the first part of October, also sued that the new laws violated free speech. But the chilling effect, even though the litigation was still ongoing, was felt. Very few people had the deep pockets to go along with the attitude and come up with something creative and funny using AI and Gavin Newsom. No one wanted the hassle of a guaranteed court mess, so the mocking, especially using AI, stopped. Until Tuesday.  

Judge John Mendez just struck down Newsom’s AB2655. Mendez’ finding? 

“Most of [the law] acts as a hammer instead of a scalpel,” Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez wrote, calling it “a blunt tool hinders humorous expression and unconstitutionally stifles the free and unfettered exchange of ideas.” He carved out an exception for a “not unduly burdensome” portion of the law that requires verbal disclosure of digitally altered content in audio-only recordings.

So as long as you use a disclaimer that this is a parody, it’s now weapons-free mocking. There is a bizarre irony to this case and how it was resolved, especially when you look at the news this week. 

The left, driven to the most extreme rhetoric possible in order to block Texas from redistricting the Lone Star State, giving Republicans the chance to pick up five more Congressional seats in next year’s midterm elections, reverted back to the oldest play in their anti-Trump playbook. He’s Hitler. He’s an  authoritarian. He’s a dictator. 

Rachel Maddow: 

Robert Francis O’Rourke, whose nickname “Beto” translated from Spanish means “Irish” on CNN with Pamela Brown. Notice that Brown didn’t even flinch at the absurdity. 

One of the fleeing Texas Democrats, Jolanda Jones, appeared on the lam on a podcast with CNN alum, Don Lemon. 

This is just like the Holocaust, she said. Lemon agrees with his ‘um-hmm’. And since we’re talking about Burgermeister Meisterburger Newsom, this:

Gavin Newsom gets it. These are not normal times. Under a corrupt pedophile president who sees himself as dictator, America is in the throes of authoritarian fascism. Unless Dems find their spine, democracy and the constitution will not survive three-plus more years of Trump. 👇 pic.twitter.com/0vRE0hDRVj

— Bill Madden (@maddenifico) August 3, 2025

Fight fire with fire, Governor? You sure after Pasadena and Pacific Palisades, you want to make rhetorical fire references? We’re in an existential threat unless we stop Trump?

It’s that existential threat thing that gives all the autocrats their ability to act on a whim. California already has two propositions that are enshrined in the Golden State’s Constitution. Redistricting is now done by “independent” committee, which is stacked by picks of the party in power in Sacramento, and is only to be done after every Census at the beginning of a decade. Newsom is now setting that aside. He’s propping up another initiative, trying to carefully word it in a way to make it deceptive enough to pass, sneaking it through this fall in order to throw out that new part of the Constitution for which he helped champion, along with the representation of 40% of California’s Republican voters.  

That’s the thing, right? Democrats have this art of projection. They love calling their political opponents authoritarians and dictators while instituting policies and enacting laws that actually are authoritarian and dictatorial. Last I checked, Donald Trump and the Republicans haven’t made political satire illegal. Gavin Newsom actually did that, and it had the force of law until is was thrown out this week. You say you used to own a home that got burned out in the wildfires earlier and you want to rebuild? That’s funny. The state and local government aren’t about to let you do that. You want to give your opinion on vaccines within 100 feet of a clinic? Straight to Jail. You as a parent want to stop your child from going through a gender assignment surgery? Also jail. In short, California’s state motto should officially be changed do, “Come on, you can’t do that.” 

Thanks to Judge Mendez, the shackles from countless would-be comedians have been lifted. It’s safe to mock once again. Mocking is what we do best to actual authoritarians.

Right before filing their lawsuit in October, the Babylon Bee offered this number up on Gavin Newsom’s new law. 

Furious Gavin Newsom Bans A.I. Images After Getting Tricked Into Thinking Pic Of Trump As A Mer-Man Was Real https://t.co/MHthO76Rhs pic.twitter.com/reDj1uJIq3

— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) September 18, 2024

Within minutes of the news breaking that the law had been dumped, X accounts were on the job. 

Like this? pic.twitter.com/qX5RtOFo6d

— 🇺🇸💣💥 MAGA Truth Bomber 🇺🇸💣💥 (@truthbombprints) August 6, 2025

Good ol Governor censorship ! pic.twitter.com/1O02O2BMlD

— Pocahontas (@pocahontasdpt3) August 6, 2025

Turns out the only AI Newsom really wanted to regulate was Actual Independence. pic.twitter.com/u6cannvMHS

— Politickle (@PolitickleNews) August 6, 2025

I have some ideas of my own. I’m hoping others do as well. Democrats have made a mockery of this state. It’s high time that at least someone gets a laugh out of it.