Donald Trump Faces Online Backlash Over 'Stupid President' Remark — 'Education of a Third Grader'

President Donald Trump has sparked a fresh wave of backlash online after he said that he does not want "a stupid president."

During a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, March 26, Trump launched a lengthy attack against the Democratic Party. He labeled it a "party of insanity" that "will destroy our country." But the remarks that drew the most attention were those he made against California Governor Gavin Newsom, who is also a potential presidential candidate for the 2028 elections.

Trump claimed that Newsom "took himself out of the running when he says he suffers from mental disability," referring to the latter's learning condition. Newsom has spoken publicly about his struggles with dyslexia, a condition primarily affecting reading and writing skills.

The Cleveland Clinic describes dyslexia as "a learning disability that disrupts how your brain processes written language." It is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that is "manageable with the right support." The common condition, which reportedly impacts one in 14 people around the world, is not a measure of intelligence, but "it simply means your brain processes language in a different way."

However, this has not barred Trump from attacking Newsom. According to Patriot Fetch, Thursday's comments mark the fourth time in a week that Trump has taken a jibe at the governor, even labeling him "low-IQ."

"A reporter said it was terrible that I talked that way about somebody with mental disability," Trump acknowledged, only to then call Newsom "actually a very stupid person." "I don't want a stupid person being president," he said.

Video footage from the Cabinet meeting spread like wildfire on social media platforms, with many users mocking Trump for his statements.

Newsom's press team responded with sarcasm, writing, "Wow. Trump is going to resign?" "Who's gonna tell him?" quipped Democratic Representative Jim McGovern. "Too late," remarked another X user. "Yet here we are," wrote someone else. One person said, "Trust me no one will ever top the stupidity of the president we currently have. Ever."

"Hey, Trump. Dyslexia is not a 'mental disability.' This man has no bar to how low he will go," one person noted. Another comment read, "I can't believe Trump is on my TV telling me he doesn't want Gavin Newsom as a president because he's got a learning disability yet this [guy] has dementia, has an education of a third grader, and his IQ is may be a 74."

Apart from slamming Newsom for his "stupidity," Trump has repeatedly praised his own intelligence, often claiming that he has aced several cognitive tests. During Thursday's Cabinet meeting, Trump said, "I'm the only president that took a cognitive test. I took it three times. It's actually a very hard test for a lot of people. It wasn't hard for me."

He then added that he would "love to see anyone that is a president or vice president or anybody that has any chance of being a president," take a cognitive test. It is worth noting that cognitive tests do not measure intelligence but rather help diagnose mental impairment and decline.

Meanwhile, Newsom took to X to respond to Trump's jibes. Addressing those who struggle with similar conditions, he wrote, "If you have dyslexia, hear this: bullies will laugh and call you names. Let them talk. Keep moving. No one — not even the President — decides your worth. Prove them wrong. Every time."