Gavin Newsom accepts Trump's cognitive test challenge: 'Name your time and place'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Gavin Newsom and Donald Trump are already trading jabs just days into 2026. 

The California governor and the president are already sparring in the first major political dust-up of the new year.

The latest flare-up erupted Tuesday morning, January 6, after Trump took a swing at Newsom during an appearance at the Kennedy Center before Republican lawmakers. In a wide-ranging 84-minute speech, Trump cast doubts on Newsom’s mental fitness and dared him to prove it.

Trump throws the first punch

Speaking to GOP lawmakers, Trump floated the idea of mandatory cognitive testing for top officeholders. He then promptly aimed it squarely at Newsom.

“We should give everybody these competency tests … I think every president and vice president should be forced to take cognitive exams,” POTUS said at one point during his remarks.

After taking shots at ex–vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) and ex–VP Kamala Harris, Trump circled back to Newsom, whom he has already branded as the Democrats’ 2028 White House frontrunner. It's worth noting that the outgoing California governor has not declared any such run.

“I don’t think Gavin could,” POTUS said, referring to Newsom passing a cognitive test. “He’s got a good line of crap, but other than that, he couldn’t pass.”

Gavin Newsom accepts the challenge

Newsom didn’t issue a carefully worded statement or wait for a press conference. Instead, the California governor took to the office’s official X account.

The Democrat borrowed directly from one of Trump’s most infamous boasts, his 2020 claim of acing a dementia screening by recalling a string of words.

Newsom wrote, “Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV.”

Then came the challenge. “If you’re so confident, let’s do it. Name your time and place," he declared.

Cognitive health questions

The exchange comes amid renewed questions around Trump’s own cognitive and physical health.

The commander-in-chief, now 79, has repeatedly claimed he is “very healthy.” Still, he raised eyebrows recently when he revealed he had undergone a “preventative” MRI scan, a form of imaging typically not used as routine screening for healthy adults unless specific conditions are involved.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal last week, Trump appeared to walk that back and said it was actually a CT scan, which is a less intensive imaging procedure. He did not provide further details.

Back in 2020, Trump frequently bragged about passing a cognitive test designed to screen for dementia, turning the exam into something of a personal talking point.

Now, Newsom seems more than happy to put that bravado to the test publicly. The governor's spokesperson Izzy Gardon didn’t hesitate when asked whether the governor was genuinely challenging Trump to a live cognitive showdown.

“Sure! Would be fun,” Gardon replied.

This comes as Trump escalated matters further on Tuesday by posting on Truth Social that the “Fraud Investigation of California has begun.”

What exactly that investigation entails remains murky. It’s unclear what the probe is about, who specifically is conducting it, or even whether the Department of Justice is formally involved.