California Governor Gavin Newsom often shares his thoughts about the Trump administration from his account on X. His newest jab accused President Donald Trump of “sundowning,” sparking dementia concerns yet again.
Newsom shared a clip of Trump fumbling over his words and then suddenly forgetting what he was supposed to say during his speech at the White House Champion of Coal event. During his speech, Trump seemingly attempted to say ‘undisputed’ but slurred his words. Trump looked at his script and asked the House Speaker about when the information had first come out.
The sundowning starts earlier every day pic.twitter.com/90daeOJzKZ
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) February 11, 2026
The California governor shared a clip of Trump slurring his words with, “The sundowning starts earlier every day.” The post generated immense traction, prompting critics and medical experts to chime in amid growing health concerns about Trump.
Although the president has often boasted about his allegedly “perfect health,” eagle-eyed critics say otherwise. So what is Newsom talking about when he mentions sundowning?
Sundowning is a symptom of dementia during which an individual may experience anxiety, confusion, and agitation. It reportedly increases in the late afternoon and sometimes lasts through midnight. Newsom thus alleges it began earlier in the morning.
Apart from anxiety, Trump has on many occasions exhibited confusion over names, designations, and even statistics. He’s also expressed agitation during press conferences. Which does appear to sound like sundowning when closely seen.
JUST IN: President Trump underwent vascular testing after he had swelling in his legs.
“All results were within normal limits … and the president remains in excellent health,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.https://t.co/47rRrwKvNK pic.twitter.com/IL9JJFubAA
— ABC News (@ABC) July 17, 2025
However, Trump and the White House continue to deny dementia accusations and growing health concerns. They continue to confirm that the president is in good health and that there’s nothing serious going on except for his chronic venous insufficiency. That condition of his continues to be widely discussed because of the bruising.
Now, let’s circle back to what social media users had to say about Newsom’s sundowning comment. Many ridiculed Trump for slurring his words and mocked him accordingly. One sarcastically said, “Can we have subtitles? No one can understand anything he’s saying.” Another user wrote, “I heard him say that live! I can’t believe it!” A third one claimed, “Wow! That’s embarrassing.”
Concerning his alleged dementia symptoms, one user wrote, “Donald’s frontal lobe dementia is progressing (…) rapidly.” Another user agreed with Newsom’s sundowning accusations and said, “Yeah, and it’s only going to get worse.” A third one wrote, “He’s a dementia patient…”
Having the debate in the evening is bad for Trump as he is experiencing “sundowning,” a common symptom of the onset of dementia.
— 𝕊𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕖_𝔾𝕦𝕣𝕝 (@SundaeDivine) June 19, 2024
Similarly, many others appeared to agree with Newsom’s accusation about Trump exhibiting a primary sign of dementia. The Irish Star cited medical expertise about the dementia sign, which mentioned that sundowning might also occur due to a lack of sleep. The White House claims that Trump has very little of it, given his busy schedule.
However, the exact cause of sundowning in dementia patients isn’t related to just a few reasons mentioned earlier. It can also be caused by fatigue, overstimulation, disrupted hormone levels, lack of exposure to sunlight, mood disorders, and more.
Trump has displayed some of these symptoms in the past. But the White House continues to shut down health concerns and assert that the president is currently in good health.
