President Donald Trump spent Wednesday attacking California Governor Gavin Newsom, ending the day with a lengthy Truth Social post that targeted Newsom’s dyslexia and called him “racist.” This came after Newsom spent the earlier part of the day criticizing Trump and his administration on social media.
According to The Daily Beast, the back-and-forth escalated quickly, moving from general political jabs to personal attacks on appearance and mental capacity. Trump, 79, started during a rally in Kentucky, using his nickname for Newsom, “Gavin Newscum,” and told supporters he wanted to “get off the teleprompter” and go rogue with his insults.
Trump brought up Newsom’s recent revelation about his dyslexia, which Newsom discussed in his memoir, Young Man in A Hurry, released last month. Newsom, 58, was diagnosed with dyslexia at age 5. Trump claimed Newsom “admitted he has mental problems, that he’s not a smart person, that he is mental… a mental lack of ability,” and alleged that Newsom was “unable to read a speech.”
Newsom has called dyslexia a superpower, but Trump used it to question his fitness for the presidency
When a reporter asked what was wrong with admitting to mental health problems, Trump responded, “I said nothing’s wrong with it, but I don’t want the President of the United States to have a cognitive deficiency. Right?” He then added, “When he admitted this, I said, ‘I think he just lost the Democrat nomination, what do I know?’ I’m for everybody but when it comes to president you gotta be sharp. You gotta be sharp as hell.”
Newsom’s press office quickly responded on X, posting, “Grandpa’s talking about himself again. We wish him well – it’s never too late to seek mental treatment.” Newsom then shared Trump’s rally video, adding it was “too late” for Trump to complain about a president with a cognitive deficiency – a pointed remark given Trump’s own recent comments about threats to North America that raised eyebrows among critics.
Newsom has spoken positively about his dyslexia during his book tour, calling it a “superpower” and the “greatest thing” to happen to him. He explained, “You have an emotional intelligence. I do think it’s a superpower… some of the most dynamic and extraordinary leaders that I know all have one thing in common, dyslexia.
It’s almost as if it’s the sort of the creative gene.” Newsom had also said in an Atlanta interview last month, “I’m a 960 SAT guy. You’ve never seen me read a speech. Because I cannot read a speech.”
Trump continued on Truth Social, calling an unnamed Newsom interview from “weeks ago” the “most self destructive” he had seen. His post claimed, “He said, in a speech, he was dumb, had low Boards, can’t read, has dyslexia, and has a mental disorder – A Cognitive Mess! On top of that, Black People are angry because he is obviously a racist.”
Trump added, “While we all want to be politically correct, having a mental disorder is not a positive campaign event. Also, this was a politically suicidal act.” Less than an hour after Trump’s Truth Social post, Newsom shared it on X with his own response. “I spoke about my dyslexia. I know that’s hard for a brain-dead moron who bombs children and protects those shielded by the Epstein files to understand.”
Published: Mar 12, 2026 10:50 am