California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Tuesday mocked Vice President JD Vance following confirmation of his involvement in U.S. negotiations with Iran, roasting the “Hillbilly Elegy” author as a futile and performative part of the team with a popular social media meme.

Newsom and his team appear to have learned something from Trump and his incessant “flood the zone” strategy to dominate the discourse, imitating the president’s writing style and mimicking his posts, but this time went after the MAGA leader’s second-in-command.

Newsom’s latest jab was prompted by an Oval Office press conference on Tuesday about the Iran war, which has already killed at least 13 U.S. military service members and more than 1,400 Iranians, when Trump was asked about reports that Vance is leading negotiations.

“Well, he’s involved them,” Trump replied. “JD is involved and [Secretary of State Marco Rubio is] involved and [my son-in-law] Jared Kushner’s involved, very smart guy, and [U.S. special envoy to the Middle East] Steve Witkoff, smart guy, is involved. And I’m involved!”

Newsom’s press office went on to share a clip of those remarks on X with an accompanying video meme, which shows a young man in New York City pretending to stop an arriving train by using his physical strength, writing: “Live look at JD in the Situation Room.”

Newsom’s team left Kushner and Witkoff out of the mockery, even though they are former real estate developers now involved in highly sensitive wartime negotiations, but Newsom’s rumored presidential run in 2028 might explain the focus on Vance.

The potential MAGA heir is purportedly important in potential talks to end the war, however.

Pakistani officials told The Guardian that the U.S. and Iran could meet as early as this week in Islamabad, Pakistan, for negotiations, with local sources adding Vance is being floated as chief negotiator and Iranian sources stating they’d refuse to deal with Witkoff or Kushner.

Trump has given multiple and contradictory reasons for launching U.S. strikes on Iran last month. The conflict has led Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes, jeopardizing global supply chains and spiking energy costs.

Whether potentially upcoming negotiations bear any fruit remains to be seen, though one diplomatic source in Iran told The Guardian that “there’s no chance” if the talks are led by Witkoff and Kushner, calling them a deceptive tool of war “to aggravate the strikes again.”

“If the negotiations are going to have any outcome, JD Vance should join,” they added. “With Witkoff and Kushner, nothing will come out of it. We have seen that in the past.”

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