Newsom Posts Bizarre Photo of Cruz in Chevron Social Media Feud
California Governor Gavin Newsom posted an AI-generated image showing President Trump as a Chevron executive walking Senator Ted Cruz on a leash amid their dispute over gas prices.
The digitally manipulated photograph shows Trump with a Chevron logo replacing his head, holding a leash attached to Cruz, who appears on all fours next to a dog bowl labeled “Chevron’s lap dog,” according to New York Post.
Newsom’s office captioned the provocative image with the words “Chevron Cruz is a good boy.” The AI-generated picture also features Cruz with a tail, a dog tag bearing his name, bags of money marked as campaign donations, and a plaque reading “Chevron’s good boy.”
The crude attack comes after Ted Cruz defended Chevron in response to Newsom’s accusations that the energy company was exploiting California drivers with inflated gas prices.
“Pro tip: unbranded gas comes from the same refineries, storage tanks, and pipelines, and it meets the same state standards to keep your engine running clean,” Newsom’s office posted on X last Thursday. “Big Oil is already making billions off Trump’s Iran War; don’t let them rip you off even more by overpaying for the brand name.”
Cruz fired back with a photograph of a Chevron station displaying fuel prices far below California’s average, which has exceeded six dollars per gallon. Just filled my tank. In Texas, gas is $3.99 a gallon, Cruz wrote on X Tuesday, adding that the problem isn’t Chevron but California’s failed energy policies.
As of Wednesday, the national average for a gallon of gasoline stands at $4.459, according to AAA. California drivers face dramatically higher costs at $6.094 per gallon on average.
Newsom has also targeted Chevron specifically by claiming the company’s branded fuel costs consumers significantly more than unbranded alternatives at the pump. A spokesperson for the governor told New York Post that according to the Division of Petroleum Market Oversight’s analysis presented to the state Assembly, Chevron averaged more than 60 to 80 cents per gallon above unbranded alternatives.
The dispute intensified after viral videos showed signs at Chevron stations informing drivers that high pump prices were the result of Democrat policies governing the Golden State.
With information from New York Post
