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Gavin Newsom wins Trump’s insults — and his attention

by Amie Parnes - 03/17/26 2:43 PM ET

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President Trump has begun to define Gavin Newsom — signaling that the California governor has moved into a small circle of Democrats he and his allies view as a serious threat.

In recent days, Trump has been road-testing attacks on Newsom’s dyslexia — which the governor recently wrote about in his new book — trying to portray Newsom as “a low IQ person” and “dumb.”

Or, as Trump declared on Monday: “I think a president should not have learning disabilities.”

The criticism, even the president’s allies acknowledge, reflects a familiar move from Trump’s playbook: highlighting a perceived vulnerability to see how it lands.

The dynamic also provides a window into Trump’s thinking on the next presidential election and who he thinks is worth his insults ahead of the midterm elections.

“This feels like something he is road-testing to see if it’s resonating,” said Republican strategist Brian Seitchik, who worked on the president’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns. “This is what the president does. He likes to get input from various folks to see what works and what doesn’t work.

“We may hear it again. We may not,” Seitchik said.

Trump has a history of seeking to define opponents — even Republicans — through repetition and ridicule, in an effort to distill political rivals into bite-sized caricatures.

During the 2016 Republican primary, he described Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) as “Lyin’ Ted” and Marco Rubio — who is now his secretary of State — as “Little Marco.”

During his 2016 race against Hillary Clinton, he dubbed her “Crooked Hillary.” During the 2020 and 2024 elections, he called rival Joe Biden “Sleepy Joe.”

Trump’s attacks on Newsom are not new. He has repeatedly labeled the governor as “Gavin Newscum” and has used California almost as a political foil of its own, highlighting crime and homelessness in the state.

But the ramped-up attacks on Newsom and his dyslexia are a new, more personal line of attack. Even Trump’s allies say it shows that the president considers Newsom, who many Democrats and Republicans view as a front-runner for the 2028 Democratic nomination, as a problem.

“He attacks people he sees as weak or he attacks people he sees as a threat, and I think Newsom falls into the second bucket,” one GOP strategist said.

Last week during a rally in Kentucky, Trump also sought to draw attention to the matter, saying Newsom’s political career is “over” because of his dyslexia: “I’m for everybody, but, you know, when it comes to president, you got to be sharp,” Trump told the crowd. “You got to be sharp as hell.”

The topic came up again — unprompted and this time behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office — on Monday when Trump was speaking about voter identification in California.

“Honestly, I’m all for people with learning disabilities, but not for my president,” Trump told reporters.

“I know it’s highly controversial to say such a horrible thing,” Trump continued, before twisting Newsom’s last name. “The president of the United States, Gavin Newscum, admitted that he has learning disabilities, dyslexia — everything about him is dumb.”

The president — who is known to “brand” opponents he deems as threatening — also went on to say that Newsom had “mental problems” and a “mental lack of ability.”

The White House doubled down on the president’s remarks. “President Trump is right. Gavin Newsom is the worst governor in America, and he also may be the dumbest,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said.

Newsom, who has typically relished fights with Trump, chose to post a comment to children with learning disabilities instead of landing a punch: “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,” he said.

Izzy Gardon, a spokesperson for the governor, told The Hill that Newsom is living “rent free” in Trump’s head.

Susan Del Percio, a longtime Republican consultant who does not support the president, said Newsom “has clearly gotten under Donald Trump’s skin and this is all Donald Trump has to reply with.”

Del Percio called Trump’s comments “weak” and predicted it could cause a problem for Republicans.

“People are going to ask, ‘Do you agree with the president?” Del Percio said. “Once again, Donald Trump is showing he does not care about anybody but himself and has no problem leaving Republicans to clean up his mess.”

Seitchik sees it differently.

Newsom, he said, is “first among equals” in the president’s view.

“He certainly seems to have the highest profile among 2028 aspirants and as of today he’s certainly running the hardest,” he said.

And from Trump’s perspective, he added, “kicking the governor of California is beneficial for his poli