Donald Trump attempted to shade his political rival Gavin Newsom over “cognitive deficiency” and it backfired instantly.
During a rally-style event in Kentucky on Wednesday (11 March), US president Trump took aim at California Governor Newsom – a Democrat who is widely considered to be in the running to become the presidential candidate in the 2028 election.
Referencing an interview Newsom gave in which he discussed struggles with dyslexia, Trump claimed to his supporters: “He [Newsom] admitted he has mental problems, that he’s not a smart person, that he has a mental lack of ability, he’s unable to read a speech. He can’t read … I don’t want the president of the United States to have a cognitive deficiency.”
It didn’t take long for his remark to backfire, as Newsom retorted on X/Twitter, “Too late”.
His press office continued with the jab, writing: “Grandpa’s talking about himself again. We wish him well — it’s never too late to seek mental treatment.”
Trump’s ranting about Newsom continued on afterwards in a Truth Social post in which he claimed his rival “took himself out of even being considered” as the Democrats’ presidential nominee because he is a “cognitive mess”.
In response, Newsom hit back, referencing the deadly strike on an Iranian girls’ school, which preliminary reports suggest was perpetrated by the US, as well as the Trump administration’s shambolic handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
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