President Donald Trump is facing new criticism on Wednesday for an attack on California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) that many say went beyond the pale.
Trump mocked Newsom for having dyslexia, a common learning disability that makes it difficult to read. During a speech in Kentucky, Trump said Newsom ― who he called “Newscum” ― had “admitted he has mental problems, that he’s not a smart person, that he is mental, a mental lack of ability, he’s unable to read a speech, he can’t read, and all of the other things he said, he said has a lot of mental problems.”
Trump added there is “nothing wrong with that, but I don’t want the president of the United States to have a cognitive deficiency.”
“Grandpa’s talking about himself again,” Newsom added in another message from his “Press Office” account. “We wish him well — it’s never too late to seek mental treatment.”
The comments may have triggered Trump further, because he continued his attacks on Newsom in a Truth Social message, calling him a “cognitive mess” because of his dyslexia.
“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,” Trump wrote. “The only thing he didn’t say is he is losing his look, but nobody wants to say that about one’s self. He is no longer a viable Presidential Candidate!”
Newsom, who is considering a run for president in 2028, has been open about how dyslexia makes it difficult to read and about the impact it has had on his education.
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The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity said up to 20% of Americans have some form of dyslexia. It is not, as the president suggested, a “mental disorder” or “cognitive deficiency.”
However, Trump has faced renewed questions about his cognitive abilities and overall health, especially since returning to the White House last year. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) and Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) have each, in separate appearances, accused Trump of having dementia.
“This is a man who’s suffering dementia,” Pritzker told the Chicago Tribune in October, while Gallego said Trump “clearly has some kind of dementia” at around the same time.
It’s not just Democrats, either. At least two members of Trump’s first administration raised questions about a perceived drop in his mental acuity earlier this year. Ty Cobb, who served as a White House attorney at the time, told MS NOW’s Ari Melber that Trump’s cognitive decline is “palpable.” And former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham wrote on X in January that her old boss was “mentally slipping.”
Many critics took issue with Trump equating dyslexia with cognitive problems and a “mental disorder.” They hit back on X:
