California Governor Gavin Newsom went after President Donald Trump on Wednesday for what he sees as a bizarre prioritization problem: installing snarky plaques at the White House while Americans watch their grocery bills and utility costs climb.

The Plaques That Launched a Thousand Eye Rolls

Writing on X, Newsom laid out his case with a simple list: "Inflation is up. Unemployment is up. Grocery prices are up. Electricity costs are up. And Donald Trump is spending his time doing this..."

The "this" in question refers to Trump's latest addition to his "Presidential Walk of Fame" along the West Wing colonnade. According to the Associated Press, the president has installed plaques beneath portraits of his predecessors that read like his greatest hits from Truth Social. Joe Biden's plaque declares him "by far, the worst President," while Barack Obama gets tagged as "one of the most divisive political figures" with a bonus reference to the "Russia Hoax."

White House Says It's Just History, Folks

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the plaques in a statement to CBS, calling them "eloquently written descriptions of each President." She noted that "many were written directly by the President himself" and insisted they simply reflect Trump's "historical perspective." One person's historical perspective is another person's Twitter feed carved in metal, apparently.

The Numbers Behind Newsom's Frustration

Here's the thing: Newsom's economic complaints have data backing them up. Inflation is running about 3.1% year-over-year in late 2025, ticking up from roughly 3% in September based on Consumer Price Index trends. The Labor Department reports unemployment hit 4.6% in November, marking a two-year high that has economists worried about voter anxiety over jobs and wages.

Grocery prices, or "food at home" in government-speak, are up around 3% over the past year, extending what's been a painful stretch of elevated food inflation. And if you've opened an electricity bill lately, you've probably noticed the pain: U.S. Energy Information Administration data shows average residential electricity bills have climbed about 13% since Trump returned to office. That reflects national price increases and some double-digit regional spikes as utilities pass along higher fuel and grid costs.

Broader Political Fallout

Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci weighed in with his own take: "It's just sickening to see the level of staff willing to enable him." Meanwhile, Newsom had already taken his own shot earlier this month, mocking the colonnade as a "Presidential Walk of Fatigue" in a meme showing Trump apparently dozing off.

The plaque controversy might seem like political theater, but it's landing at a moment when economic anxiety is real and rising costs are hitting household budgets hard. Whether voters care more about presidential shade or their grocery bills is the question both parties are trying to answer.