President Donald Trump and California Governor Gavin Newsom have been sparring relentlessly throughout Trump’s second term. While Newsom relentlessly trolls and mocks Trump on social media, the President also takes jabs and makes fun of him consistently.
However, Trump’s latest jab at Newsom’s dyslexia has not only led to the California Governor hitting him back but also has the whole neurodivergent community enraged. While speaking to journalists about voter identification in California, Trump said: “Gavin ‘Newscum’ has admitted that he is a — that he has learning disabilities.”
He then added, “Honestly, I’m all for people with learning disabilities, but not for my president. I don’t want — I think a president should not have learning disabilities, OK?” He further said, “And I know it’s highly controversial to say such a horrible thing. The president of the United States, Gavin Newscum, admitted that he has learning disabilities, dyslexia. Everything about him is dumb.”
Newsom discussed his dyslexia with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens during a recent appearance promoting his memoir, saying, “not trying to impress you. I’m just trying to impress upon you, I am like you.”
He then added, “I am no better than you. I am a 960 SAT guy. And I’m not trying to offend anyone, [or] act all there if you got 940. But literally a 960 SAT guy. You have never seen me read a speech, because I cannot read a speech.”
Taking to his Truth Social platform, Trump posted, “Gavin Newscum’s interview weeks ago was, perhaps, the most self-destructive interview I’ve ever seen.” His post further added, “He said, in a speech, he was dumb, had low Boards, can’t read, has dyslexia, and has a mental disorder — A Cognitive Mess!”
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Now, it is important to note here that, as per the International Dyslexia Association, dyslexia “is a language-based learning disability.” Haley Moss, a neurodiversity advocate and the first openly autistic female attorney in Florida, said, “Neurodivergent people are competent and can hold office or any job they’d like as long as they have the right supports and qualifications. In fact, we have also had other politicians and elected officials who also had dyslexia or were otherwise neurodivergent.”
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Dyslexia is not a mental disorder, as Trump characterized it. According to historians, Woodrow Wilson was among the former presidents believed to have had the condition.
Newsom did not let the remarks go unanswered, and he took to X. On there, Newsom used some profanity and accused Trump of harming children and shielding predators — language too explicit to reprint in full.
Trump’s comments appear essentially insensitive and lacking knowledge about what dyslexia actually is. It is also quite a direct attack on the neurodivergent community, a number of whom, despite having this condition, are excelling.
