For the Trump White House, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

As White House officials watched California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) mirror President Trump’s rhetoric and social media persona this past week, they say it didn’t land the way it was intended.

“If he wanted to get under President Trump’s skin, it didn’t work,” said one Trump ally. “I think everyone around here viewed it as comical."

“Let’s face it, there’s only one Trump,” the ally said.

Newsom for more than a week has sought to mimic Trump’s bombastic social media missives, borrowing words such as “beautiful” from the president’s vocabulary and writing social media posts in all caps. He’s had an in-your-face attitude with Republicans from administration officials to right-leaning media personalities that is positively Trumpian.

Democrats — thirsty for not only leadership but a political boxing match — have relished Newsom’s strategy. All week, strategists lauded the efforts saying it was about time someone stood up to Trump in a meaningful way.

But Republicans say Newsom’s antics are contrived, if not over the top. In an interview on Fox News earlier this past week, Vice President Vance accused Newsom of being inauthentic.

© The Hill