Bill Maheris praisingCalifornia Gov. Gavin Newsomfor mockingPresident Donald Trump. During an Aug. 22 episodeof his HBO show"Real Time with Bill Maher,"the late-night host referenced the governor's X posts aimed at Trump, proclaiming to his panel, "I've never seen a Democrat do this, I think it's very funny." Maher, 69, added: "I feel like Gavin has grasped the essential thing about American culture in this day and age. Don't try to outsmart people. You have to out-stupid them." The 57-year-old Newsom – long floated as a possible frontrunner for theDemocrats' 2028 nomination for president– is throwing out his party's playbook in favor of a more aggressive style of politics, embracing Trump's own approach. 83051272007 'Don't poke the bear:' Newsom usesTrump's punchy-style to make 2028 case "This is a new Democratic Party. This is a new energy out there all across this country, and we are going to meet fire with fire,"Newsom saidin response to USA TODAY during an Aug. 20 conference call with party leaders. Newsom said that he's attempting to activate "a renewed sense of purpose" among potential voters. "And I say that as a guy not from a small, isolated state but (one) the size of 21 state populations combined that is the fourth largest economy in the world," Newsom said. "We are going to meet this moment head-on." The tone of Newsom's posts reflect Trump's approach to dealing with adversaries online. "WOW! FOX NEWS CAN'T STOP TALKING ABOUT ME (GAVIN C. NEWSOM), AMERICA'S FAVORITE GOVERNOR!!! TONIGHT THEIR ENTIRE PRIMETIME LINEUP WAS ABOUT ME! JESSE WATTERS KEPT CALLING ME 'DADDY' (VERY WEIRD, NOT INTERESTED, BUT THANK YOU!)," anAug. 20 post from the governor's press officesaid. Bill Maher's full monologue on hisDonald Trump meeting: Read the transcript An Aug. 21 post dove into the fiery conservative uproar aboutCracker Barrel's new logo, saying the restaurant chain should: "KEEP YOUR BEAUTIFUL LOGO!!! THE NEW ONE LOOKS LIKE CHEAP VELVEETA 'CHEESE' FROM WALMART, THE PLACE FOR 'GROCERIES' (AN OLD FASHIONED TERM)!!! 'FIX IT' ASAP! WOKE IS DEAD!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER. — GCN." Trump has noticed, slamming Newsom for his antics. "I know Gavin very well," the president told reporters during an Aug. 22 event in the Oval Office. "He's an incompetent guy with a good line of (bull)." Earlier this year, Maher revealed that he got to know Trump well, recounting a dinner he had with the president at the White House during an April 11 episode of"Real Time."Despite bringing a "list of almost 60 different insulting epithets that the president said about me" and having Trump sign it, the pair got along well. "As you know, 12 days ago, I had dinner withPresident Trump– a dinner that was set up by my friendKid Rock, because we share a belief that there's got to be something better than hurling insults from 3,000 miles away," Maher said. He then went on to document the meeting as rather pleasant despite their past beef. "The guy I met is not the person who the night before the dinner … tweeted a bunch of nasty crap about how he thought this dinner was a bad idea and what a deranged (expletive) I was," Maher said on-air. "I read it and thought, oh, what a lovely way to welcome someone to your house." He added: "But when I got there, that guy wasn't living there." Contributing: KiMi Robinson, Phillip Bailey This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Bill Maher praises Gavin Newsom for mocking Trump
