Gavin Newsom has apparently been studying at the Trump School of Pharmaceutical Theater. The California governor now fancies himself a pharma baron, announcing the debut of state-branded CalRx insulin—the “affordable” generic that somehow costs more than what private companies are already selling.

The pitch: California will offer insulin pens at “no more than $55” for a five-pack. The reality: every major manufacturer—Eli Lilly, Sanofi, and Novo Nordisk—has already capped retail insulin at $35 per month nationwide. Patients who buy CalRx would literally pay a premium for Sacramento’s virtue signaling.

Newsom’s original vision was to manufacture insulin in-state. That fantasy ran aground on the rocks of regulatory complexity and budget math, so in 2023 he pivoted to contracting with Civica Rx, a nonprofit generic consortium founded by hospitals and philanthropies. He then claimed the partnership would slash prices by 90%. In practice, that “savings” appears to have vanished faster than a California budget surplus.

The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board called it what it is: marketing cosplay. The state is entering a market that capitalism already fixed. FDA-approved biosimilars and competitive price caps have driven insulin costs down dramatically, with most Americans now paying under ten bucks per prescription.

But why let facts spoil a good press release? Newsom’s rollout mimics Trump’s playbook perfectly: exaggerate the crisis, announce a government “solution,” and pose for the cameras while the private sector quietly keeps doing the heavy lifting.

It’s the blue-state sequel to TrumpRx—same populism, different hair gel. The left calls it “equity,” the right calls it “reform,” and both sides end up selling you the same bottle with a different label. Meanwhile, the free market did what neither could manage: lower insulin prices without a taxpayer-funded side hustle.

When California starts hawking overpriced insulin as a public service, you don’t need a glucose meter to spot the sugar-coated BS.