California Governor Gavin Newsom took to X to suggest Donald Trump has dementia after the President called him ‘Newscum’ in a televised cabinet meeting
08:46, 27 Aug 2025Updated 09:01, 27 Aug 2025
Gavin Newsom poured water on Trump’s cabinet meeting, implying the president is suffering from dementia(Image: Getty Images)
California Governor Gavin Newsom torched Donald Trump’s latest Cabinet meeting, all but accusing the president of having dementia.
The war of words erupted after Trump, 79, went off on a rambling tangent about California’s wildfires, claiming he had to force the state to “turn on the water.” Midway through the televised meeting, he slammed the governor as “Newscum” and declared he personally ordered water to be restored to fire hydrants during the recent infernos.
“There was no water,” Trump said. “So we sent hundreds of millions of gallons a day into the Pacific Ocean. They turn a valve. The valve heads out. We turned the valve back. I actually had to do it using force.” In response, Newsom posted a video clip of Trump’s remarks on X, alongside a screenshot of a conversation with Grok, the platform’s AI chatbot.
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The governor asked: “Do people with dementia repeat false things over and over again?” It replied: “Yes, people with dementia can repeat false statements or beliefs, a behaviour often linked to memory impairments and cognitive changes.
“This can manifest as confabulation, where they create or repeat false memories to fill gaps in recollection, or perseveration, where they fixate on a particular idea or statement,” the chatbot continued.
California officials have repeatedly refuted Trump’s version of events. During the January wildfires, hydrants in Los Angeles did run dry, but the city cited “tremendous demand” as the cause. The state’s Department of Water Resources dismissed Trump’s claim that the military was deployed to restore supply, confirming federal water pumps had simply resumed operation after a scheduled maintenance break.
Trump took aim at Governor “Newscum” and repeated a claim that the US government had to force California to “turn on the water“(Image: AP)
Still, Trump’s team hit back. A spokesperson said: “Newscum will say anything to distract from his terrible handling of the California wildfires that President Trump had to come in and clean up.”
The feud comes amid increasing scrutiny of Trump’s mental health and mounting concerns over his ability to govern. Over the past month alone, the president has repeatedly confused the names of countries, individuals, and historical periods.
Newsom’s stinging response comes as he infuriated MAGA voters by mimicking Trump’s social media strategy in recent weeks(Image: AP)
He referred to the Democratic Republic of the Congo as “the Republic of Condo,” called the Russian city of St Petersburg by its Soviet-era name “Leningrad,” and thanked a non-existent “Kristi Whitmer” – seemingly a conflation of South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Trump also recently mistook Noem for LPGA golfer Cristie Kerr. Newsom, meanwhile, has seized the opportunity to highlight what he views as Trump’s cognitive decline, ramping up his own online presence with Trump-style social media tactics.
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His official X account now posts regular all-caps messages and even promotes merchandise, echoing Trump’s branding, angering some of the president’s supporters.
Concerns over Trump’s health have been compounded by recent physical symptoms, including swollen ankles, bruised hands, and an unsteady gait.
Newsom’s office has trolled Trump, making several all-caps X posts each day, and also started selling Trump-inspired merch(Image: x.com/GavinNewsom)
In response, the Trump team has turned to former White House physician-turned-Congressman Ronny Jackson to publicly vouch for the ex-president’s condition.
Jackson, 58, who once claimed Trump could “live to 200,” was stripped of his military rank following multiple misconduct allegations, including handing out prescription drugs “like candy” and drinking on duty.
He no longer holds a valid medical license outside emergency scenarios but was reportedly involved in treating Trump after the 2024 shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania.