Gavin Newsom tells kids not to let Trump 'bully you' over learning disabilities

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA: Governor Gavin Newsom spoke about learning disabilities among children and made a pointed remark about President Donald Trump's recent comments.

Newsom, who was diagnosed with dyslexia at age five, responded after Trump suggested that his disability should prevent him from becoming president. The exchange has drawn attention as Newsom, widely considered a potential 2028 candidate, emphasized that "dyslexia is not a weakness."

Gavin Newsom responds to Trump’s remarks on dyslexia

Newsom addressed children with learning disabilities in a post on X after Trump criticized him for his dyslexia. Newsom wrote, “To every kid with a learning disability: don’t let anyone — not even the President of the United States — bully you. Dyslexia isn’t a weakness. It’s your strength.”

Newsom’s comments came after Trump spoke to reporters on Monday, March 16, in the Oval Office while discussing voter identification in California. During those remarks, he described Newsom as a “low-IQ person.”

Trump said, “Gavin ‘Newscum’ has admitted that he is a — that he has learning disabilities,” using his derisive nickname for the California Democrat. He continued, “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 also referenced remarks Newsom made last month during an event promoting his memoir. At that event, Newsom tried to relate to others while speaking with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.

Newsom said, “I’m just trying to impress upon you, I’m like you. I’m no better than you. You know, I’m a 960 SAT guy.” 

Trump mocked those comments, saying, “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.”

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle defended Trump’s remarks, saying in a statement, “President Trump is right. Gavin Newscum is the worst governor in America, and he also may be the dumbest.”

Gavin Newsom speaks about living with dyslexia

Newsom has previously discussed his dyslexia at an event promoting his book, sharing how the condition has shaped his life. He said, “It’s not something you get rid of. It’s just something you work around. I don't know that you overcome it, but you work around it, and it turned out, I am literally sitting here because of it.”

He described dyslexia as something that helped him develop other abilities. “It’s a gift, because it forces you to develop other skills. And it forces you to have some empathy, to feel like you have to be more collaborative. And it just, it sensitizes you to the world around. You feel a room. You absorb more emotionally.”

The president has taken shots at the California governor and his dyslexia before. In a Truth Social post earlier this month, Trump called Newsom “A Cognitive Mess!” and said he had a “mental disorder.”

Conservatives have also criticized Newsom for his SAT comments in Atlanta, arguing that they promoted stereotypes about Black people.

Newsom responded strongly to that criticism, “You didn’t give a s*** about the President of the United States of America posting an ape video of President Obama or calling African nations s**tholes — but you’re going to call me racist for talking about my lifelong struggle with dyslexia?”