When President Donald Trump said on Monday that dyslexia makes someone unfit to lead and run the nation, roughly 20% of the American population likely thought of their own diagnoses.

Over the last week, Trump has repeatedly condemned California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) for being open about his dyslexia and suggested that, therefore, Newsom cannot become the president because of his “learning disability.” Dyslexia is the most common neurocognitive disorder — roughly one in five people has been diagnosed with it, according to the Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity.

“We have a low-IQ person, you know, because Gavin ‘Newscum’ has admitted that he is a — that he has learning disabilities,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, referencing his nickname for Newsom. “Honestly, I’m all for people with learning disabilities, but not for my president. I don’t want — I think the president should not have learning disabilities.”

Newsom has not formally announced any candidacy plans for president as of reporting, but confirmed that he is considering a 2028 presidential run.

Dyslexia is classified as a specific learning disorder in the DSM-5. Newsom has been open about his dyslexia diagnosis since 2004, when he was the San Francisco mayor, according to SF Gate.

Michelle Qazi, the president of the Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA), told HuffPost that while dyslexia is a disability, it does not equate to a “low-IQ.”

“That is absolutely inaccurate,” Qazi said about the “low-IQ” comparison. “When students go through all the testing to get a diagnosis of dyslexia, there are IQ tests involved, and their IQ scores are really, really high.”

Qazi is a certified academic language therapist (CALT), a highly trained professional who provides specialized lessons for individuals diagnosed with dyslexia.

She told HuffPost there is a lot of misinformation about the disorder.

“It’s just a glitch with the processing of language that occurs in the brain, and it is no reflection on intelligence or the ability to make great decisions,” Qazi said. “[Their] brain doesn’t learn to read in the traditional way that every other one does. It still can [read], it just has to learn to.”

Newsom is not the only political figure who has revealed their dyslexia diagnosis. Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) has been open about his diagnosis, as have former Florida Rep. Kendrick Meek, former West Virginia Gov. Gaston Caperton and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.).

Trump’s comments also stand in contrast to years of bipartisan legislative efforts. In October, Newsom approved Assembly Bill 1454, which aims to change how reading is taught in California schools, with an emphasis on phonics. In 2023, he signed Senate Bill 114 into law, which mandates dyslexia screenings for students in kindergarten through second grade in the state. Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy (R), who has been open about his daughter having dyslexia, introduced the bipartisan 21st Century Dyslexia Act in 2021 and again in 2025, which advocated for better identification and support of students with dyslexia.

Trump previously discussed Newsom’s dyslexia in a Fox News Radio interview on Friday, telling host Brian Kilmeade that the “president can’t have a learning disability.” In a Truth Social post on March 11, the president said Newsom’s interview for his memoir with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, wherein he discussed having dyslexia, was “the most self-destructive interview” and “took himself out of even being considered as the Presidential Nominee of the Crazy … Democrats.”

Earlier on March 11, Trump publicly commented on Newsom’s dyslexia while speaking to supporters in Kentucky. The president said Newsom had “admitted he has mental problems” and is “unable to read a speech. He can’t read.”

“I don’t want the president of the United States to have a cognitive deficiency,” Trump said last week.

Dyslexia is not classified as a “cognitive deficiency,” Qazi said, emphasizing that the term specifically refers to impairments when the patient has difficulty with their memory, attention span and overall ability to function properly, according to the Critical Illness, Brain Dysfunction, and Survivorship (CIBS) Center.

“Kids can have really great memories,” Qazi said. And, “they absolutely can learn to read once they learn certain instructions.”

When asked if Newsom had a statement in response to Trump’s comments, his office referred HuffPost to three recent X posts.

NO THANK YOU, WE BELIEVE IN FREE ELECTIONS! 🇺🇸 https://t.co/GXnBVUzEkI

NOW THAT I, GAVIN C. NEWSOM, AM OFFICIALLY PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (THANK YOU DONALD!), I HAVE MANY BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS TO MAKE! FIRST, EVERY TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER IS NULL AND VOID, STEPHEN MILLER AND EVERY TRUMP GOON IS FIRED, AND THE TRUMP CORRUPTION PROBE IS OFFICIALLY…

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 dyslexia diagnosis resurged in the news after he promoted his memoir, “Young Man in a Hurry,” in conversation with Dickens on Feb. 22.

“I’m not trying to impress you,” Newsom told the audience. “I’m just trying to impress upon you, I’m like you. I’m no better than you. I’m a 960 SAT guy. And I’m not trying to offend anyone trying to act all there if you got a 940.”

“You’ve never seen me read a speech, because I cannot read a speech. Maybe the wrong business to be in,” the governor continued. “I haven’t overcome dyslexia, I’m living with it.”

For Qazi and other CALTs, Trump’s comments reflect a broader misconception about a condition that affects millions. Dyslexia is not characterized as a medical problem, she said, but a neurological difficulty.

“There [are] so many really incredible people in the world doing incredible things that also live with dyslexia,” Qazi said.

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