(MENAFN- Live Mint) California Governor Gavin Newsom's press office has engaged in a highly aggressive social media campaign targeting President Donald Trump, directly incorporating renewed scrutiny over the President's long-documented association with the late convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.

Newsom's team has notably adopted the all-caps, rapid-fire, confrontational communication style often used by the Trump campaign, employing it to mock the President and First Lady Melania Trump.

Trolling the 'America's Power Couple' narrative

The first jab in the recent campaign occurred after the White House social media channels shared a post describing the President and First Lady Melania Trump as“America's power couple.”

Melania Trump was making a rare appearance to unveil a new initiative focused on children in foster care when the original photo was shared.

Newsom's team swiftly replied to the post by sharing a still image from archived 1992 footage, showing Donald Trump alongside Jeffrey Epstein. The team followed up the next day, mocking the White House's attempt at public relations with a pointed quote:“The internet knows who the real power couple is.”

This immediate and direct reference to Epstein and the nature of Trump's association served to instantly redirect the public conversation away from the First Lady's initiative and onto the President's historical connections.

The 'Get Yourself a President that Can Do Both' counter

The second swipe from Newsom's team occurred following a post by the“Trump War Room” account.

After the President appeared at a McDonald's Impact Summit, the account posted a picture of him speaking at a podium next to a picture of him working a McDonald's fryer, quipping:“Get yourself a President that can do both.”

Newsom's team quickly issued a savage reply by posting an unflattering photo of Trump against a McDonald's backdrop, paired with a photo showing the President and First Lady alongside both Epstein and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. The intent was to connect the President's public image directly with the ongoing Epstein scandal.

Context of renewed Epstein scrutiny

The timing of Newsom's campaign was designed to maximize political impact, coinciding with significant new revelations regarding the Epstein case. On November 12, more than 20,000 pages of documents from Epstein's estate were released. Among the documents was an email from Epstein that suggested Trump had closer ties to the network than previously acknowledged, which was highlighted by Democrats in Congress.

In the email, Epstein wrote to Ghislaine Maxwell:“i want you to realize that that dog that hasn't barked is trump..[Victim] spent hours at my house with him.”

Trump immediately blasted the release as a“hoax” but later changed course, urging House Republicans to vote on the release of the records. The President has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing or knowledge related to Epstein's sex trafficking operation.

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