In a telling aside from his meeting with Donald Trump, Governor Gavin Newsom revealed the former president was surprised to learn a “memecoin” was “not even a coin.” Newsom shared this anecdote to paint a broader picture of Trump as an out-of-touch leader involved in what the governor termed a “crypto grift.”
While the main focus of his warning was Trump’s alleged third-term ambitions, this smaller detail about cryptocurrency served to undermine Trump’s credibility. It suggests a leader who delves into complex, speculative ventures without a basic understanding of the subject matter.
Newsom presented this as part of a larger pattern of behavior. The man who, according to Newsom, doesn’t understand cryptocurrency is the same man who doesn’t respect the Constitution. Both anecdotes are used to build a character profile of a leader who is unserious, self-serving, and dangerous.
By weaving this “crypto grift” detail into his larger narrative about constitutional threats, Newsom is making a comprehensive argument about Trump’s fitness for office. He is suggesting that the disregard for facts in one area is indicative of a disregard for rules in another, far more critical, one.