Gavin Newsom’s wife Jennifer slams Trump over dyslexia attack: 'Extremely ignorant and offensive'
Learning differences do not determine someone’s potential, but making fun of those with them certainly does. pic.twitter.com/blyg5xvEtv
— Jennifer Siebel Newsom (@JenSiebelNewsom) March 17, 2026
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: California Governor Gavin Newsom’s wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, slammed President Donald Trump after he questioned Newsom’s fitness for the presidency over his dyslexia. In response, she called Trump a “vile specimen” and defended people with learning differences, saying such comments are offensive and ignorant.
Her response comes after Trump repeatedly mocked Newsom’s dyslexia, arguing that individuals with learning disabilities should not lead the country.
Gavin Newsom’s wife defends her husband’s dyslexia claim
On Tuesday, March 17, Jennifer Siebel Newsom posted a video in response to Donald Trump’s comment in the Oval Office that “a president should not have learning disabilities.”
In her video on X, she criticized Trump, saying everything he stands for is “frankly beyond disqualifying” and called him “the most corrupt president in our nation’s history.”
She then defended her husband, Gavin Newsom, who was diagnosed with dyslexia at age five. She said it is “extremely ignorant and offensive” to suggest that someone with dyslexia or other learning differences cannot lead or succeed.
Siebel Newsom, married to the governor since 2008, pointed out that "some of the most successful leaders" also have dyslexia and said young children with learning differences are “trying to believe in themselves.”
She added, “As someone who grew up in a Republican household, shame on the Republican Party for normalizing this vile specimen of a human being stationed at the top of their party.”
White House backs Trump’s comments on Gavin Newsom
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle defended Donald Trump’s comments about Gavin Newsom, telling The Daily Beast that “President Trump is right. Gavin Newscum is the worst governor in America, and he also may be the dumbest.”
Trump recently repeated his attacks on Newsom, saying that the governor’s dyslexia, a learning disability he has publicly discussed, should disqualify someone from being president.
🚨 HOLY CRAP! President Trump EVISCERATED Gavin Newsom for attempting to put poll workers in JAIL for asking for voter ID
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) March 16, 2026
"If you're an official, and you say 'may I please see your identification,' you're subject to going to JAIL! That's how crazy it's gotten!"
"Newsom ADMITTED… pic.twitter.com/UCJHztgu4c
Newsom, who is considered a possible Democratic candidate for the 2028 election, often clashes with Trump, who has nicknamed him “Newscum.”
Trump told reporters, “Gavin Newscum has admitted that he has learning disabilities. Honestly, I’m all for people with learning disabilities, but not for my president. I think a president should not have learning disabilities, okay?” He added that Newsom’s dyslexia made him “dumb” and acknowledged that his remarks were controversial.
These comments are the third time in recent days that Trump has criticized Newsom over his dyslexia, which the governor has openly discussed in interviews and in his book.
In February, during a conversation with the mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, Gavin Newsom talked about his low SAT score and explained that he does not read speeches as governor because of his dyslexia. Dyslexia is a learning disability that makes reading and spelling accurately and quickly difficult, according to the International Dyslexia Association.
