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Gavin Newsom has given a scathing two-word retort after President Donald Trump publicly questioned the California governor’s mental health and “cognitive” ability.
Trump was in Kentucky Wednesday to promote a primary challenger to Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican who has got under the president’s skin for breaking with his party on several issues. But during his visit, the president attacked his political rival on the Democratic side.
“He admitted he has mental problems, that he’s not a smart person…that he is unable to read a speech,” Trump said of Newsom during a speech to his supporters in Hebron. “I don’t want the president of the United States to have a cognitive deficiency.”
The president later added in his speech that he, on the other hand, is “real smart.” But Newsom begged to differ.
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Gavin Newsom has given a scathing two-word retort after President Donald Trump publicly questioned the California governor’s mental health and ‘cognitive’ ability (Getty Images)
Newsom wrote on X Wednesday, “Too late,” in response to Trump’s comment about not wanting the president to have a “cognitive deficiency,” implying Trump is the one with mental health issues.
The governor’s press office dug in further, writing on X, “Grandpa’s talking about himself again. We wish him well — it’s never too late to seek mental treatment.”
Newsom, widely considered to be a potential contender for the Democratic nomination in the 2028 election, has recently gained more prominence by trolling Trump.
Trump later took his rant about Newsom to Truth Social, saying an interview the governor gave a couple of weeks ago about his lifelong struggle with dyslexia, a learning disability that primarily affects reading and writing skills, was the “most self destructive interview I’ve ever seen.”
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‘I don’t want the president of the United States to have a cognitive deficiency,’ Trump said during a visit to Kentucky (Getty Images)
“In one fell swoop, he took himself out of even being considered as the Presidential Nominee of the Crazy…Democrats. He said, in a speech, he was dumb, had low Boards, can’t read, has dyslexia, and has a mental disorder — A Cognitive Mess!” Trump wrote. “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.”
In a video of the interview Newsom posted to social media on February 23, the governor said of his dyslexia, “It’s not something you get rid of. It’s just something you work around…I am literally sitting here because of it. It’s a gift because it forces you to develop other skills and it forces you to have some empathy.”
Newsom hit back again at the president, replying to his Truth Social post by criticizing the U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran and the Trump administration’s handling of files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
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Newsom said, ‘Too late,’ in response to Trump’s comment about not wanting the president to have a ‘cognitive deficiency,’ implying Trump is the one with mental health issues (AFP via Getty Images)
“I spoke about my dyslexia. I know that’s hard for a brain-dead moron who bombs children and protects pedophiles to understand,” Newsom wrote on X.
A preliminary Pentagon report has found the U.S. was responsible for the unintentional bombing of an girls’ school in Minab, Iran, on February 28 that reportedly killed some 175 people, most of whom were children, The New York Times wrote Wednesday, citing U.S. officials and others familiar with the findings.
Rep. Massie helped lead the charge to compel the Justice Department to release the Epstein files to Trump’s ire.
Mental fitness was a focal point of the 2024 election cycle when Trump, then 78, and former President Joe Biden, then 81, were running. Biden later dropped out after a dismal debate performance and was replaced by former Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost to Trump.