


Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) poked fun at President Donald Trump on Tuesday, saying the president “needs to go” amid the War Department’s new changes regarding fitness.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a speech Tuesday focused on “fixing decades of decay” in the U.S. military, including the fitness of troops. Hegseth said it’s “completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals” in the Pentagon’s halls, and going forward, every service member will now be required to take bi-annual physical training tests.
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Newsom, one of the most vocal Trump critics in the Democratic Party, reposted a clip of Hegseth’s speech while sharing an unflattering photo of Trump visiting McDonald’s in October 2024.
“I guess the Commander in Chief needs to go!” the governor said on X.
Newsom is speculated to run in the 2028 presidential election and has been parodying Trump’s social media personality in recent months. Last month, he opened the “Patriot Shop” to sell merchandise riffing off similar Trump merchandise, such as “Newsom was right about everything!” hats and “Newsom 2026” coffee mugs.
Meanwhile, the Governor Newsom Press Office X account is writing statements similar to Trump’s on Truth Social. The account parodied a Trump 2020 statement on Sept. 20 by saying Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem would “have a bad day today,” prompting a referral to the Secret Service for threat assessment.
PENTAGON CONFIRMS ‘EXTRAORDINARY’ WEAPONS PUSH AS HEGSETH SEEKS EXPANDED MISSILE CAPACITY
Besides revised fitness standards, the War Department is also returning its standards for physical combat positions to the “highest male standard only.” Hegseth said any senior military leader upset at his remarks can “do the honorable thing and resign.”
The War Department said Monday the Trump administration is exploring “extraordinary” means to expand weapons production. The Pentagon’s push involves efforts to at least double missile capacity and is aimed at boosting weapons to counter China.