Trump repeatedly suggests Newsom can’t be president because he has dyslexia

President Donald Trump has repeatedly taken aim at Democratic rival and possible 2028 presidential candidate Gavin Newsom. But lately, he’s become fixated on saying the California governor cannot be president due to his “learning disability.”

Newsom has been open about his struggle with dyslexia.

“We have a low-IQ person, you know, because Gavin Newscum has admitted that he is a — that he has learning disabilities,” Trump, using a nickname he’s coined to refer to Newsom, told reporters in the Oval Office Monday. “Honestly, I’m all for people with learning disabilities, but not for my president. I don’t want I think the president should not have learning disabilities, okay, and I know it’s highly controversial to say such a horrible thing.”

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“Everything about him is dumb,” Trump later added. It’s at least the fourth time he’s made comments about Newsom having a “learning disability” in less than a week.

Trump and Newsom have sparred repeatedly through the years over a range of issues, including Trump’s move to deploy National Guard troops to Los Angeles to assist with federal immigration enforcement, Newsom’s handling of California wildfires, and more. But Trump’s comments mark a new point in an already acrimonious relationship.

Trump first referenced Newsom’s dyslexia during remarks from Kentucky last week, where he told an audience of supporters Newsom has “admitted he has mental problems,” before suggesting his dyslexia was disqualifying for a presidential run. Newsom’s press office quickly responded that “Grandpa’s talking about himself again” and encouraged him to “seek mental treatment.”

Since then, Trump has repeated the comments at least three times, including on social media, in an interview with Fox News radio, and again Monday during an executive action signing.

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Newsom also responded to Trump’s social media post last week, firing back on X, “I spoke about my dyslexia. I know that’s hard for a brain-dead moron who bombs children and protects pedophiles to understand.”

In his memoir released last month, “Young Man in a Hurry,” Newsom writes he struggled academically during his childhood and was eventually diagnosed with dyslexia. In a February interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, Newsom described his dyslexia as a “superpower.”

“It’s the greatest thing in hindsight to happen to me,” Newsom said. “I mean, I have the freedom of not having to be stuck on the written text, and the freedom of having to work harder, more reps behind the scenes. I’m doing — if you think you’re working hard, trust me, I’m two to three times.

“It’s turned out to be a blessing, and in politics, a huge blessing,” he added.

Trump has previously drawn criticism for mocking a reporter with a disability during his first presidential campaign in 2015.

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