Donald Trump mocked California Governor Gavin Newsom’s reading ability at a rally this week, suggesting he had a “cognitive deficiency.” Newsom answered online not long after. The back-and-forth jabs landed fast on social media and widened an already messy feud between the two men.
The moment came during a campaign stop in Kentucky, part of Trump’s ongoing “affordability tour.” At one point, he started speaking about California politics and mocked Newsom.
“Newsom had admitted he has mental problems, that he’s not a smart person, that he’s unable to read a speech,” Trump told the crowd. “He can’t read. I don’t want the president of the United States to have a cognitive deficiency,” he added.
“I don’t want the president of the United States to have a cognitive deficiency.”
Too late. https://t.co/dY0iGcIreA
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) March 11, 2026
Trump also revived a nickname he has used for the California Governor for years. Newsom did not wait long to answer. He reposted the video of Trump’s comments on X with a short line pulled from Trump’s own remark. “I don’t want the president of the United States to have a cognitive deficiency,” Newsom wrote on X. Then he added two words underneath it. “Too late.”
A second post followed from the governor’s press office account. That one took a harder swing. “Grandpa’s talking about himself again. We wish him well — it’s never too late to seek mental treatment,” the account wrote.
Grandpa’s talking about himself again. We wish him well — it’s never too late to seek mental treatment. https://t.co/IC0FAx7nXK
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) March 11, 2026
Newsom himself piled on again shortly after. “He’s talking about himself in third person again,” he posted. The issue Trump was referencing is real, but there is more to the story. Newsom has spoken openly for years about having dyslexia. He was diagnosed as a child and has said it made traditional classroom reading difficult.
In interviews and speeches he has explained that he often prefers speaking from memory instead of relying heavily on teleprompters or printouts and that long scripted texts can slow him down.
Newsom has mentioned the condition throughout his political career. In fact, in a 2023 interview, he brought it up while discussing education policy. The governor views public schools and literacy programs in California through this lens, he has said. Still, Trump attacked Newsom on these medical conditions at the rally.
He’s talking about himself in third person again. https://t.co/IHlEafVEXf
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) March 11, 2026
The Kentucky event itself was strange at times. At one point a supporter fainted behind the stage while Trump was speaking. Medics rushed in and Trump paused the speech. He asked staff to play Ave Maria while first responders helped the woman. Doctor Mehmet Oz, now serving in Trump’s administration, was among those assisting.
The rally was also notable for another reason. It marked Trump’s first outdoor campaign-style event since surviving an assassination attempt in 2024. Security around the venue was heavy, with metal detectors and layered checkpoints around the crowd.
Trump spent much of the speech talking about foreign policy and the U.S. confrontation with Iran. But the shot at Newsom still drew the biggest reaction online. The feud between the two men has been building for years.
Trump regularly targets California’s leadership when discussing issues like immigration, homelessness and environmental rules. Newsom, meanwhile, has positioned himself as one of the loudest Democratic critics of Trump’s agenda. He often answers attacks directly on social media. Like now. he video clip kept circulating long after the Kentucky event wrapped up. And Newsom’s response — two short words — traveled just as fast.
