California Governor Gavin Newsom ignited a significant online debate after alleging that Texas Senator Ted Cruz was mocking his dyslexia. Cruz had characterized him as “historically illiterate.”
In a recent discussion, Newsom shared his struggles with dyslexia, explaining how challenging school was for him during his younger years. On Monday, Cruz shared a clip from his podcast where he criticized Newsom’s grasp of history, stating, “I’ve never seen federalism of the National Guard in the states…”
Cruz continued: “I don’t think his history books even mention the civil rights movement. He seems unaware of a president named Dwight D. Eisenhower.” He further noted the historical context of Democrats resisting federal laws, tying it to contemporary issues with immigration laws.
Newsom responded to Cruz’s remarks by saying, “To label someone with dyslexia as illiterate is a new low, even for him.” Many, however, quickly highlighted the Democrats’ misunderstanding in this exchange.
Author Peachy Keenan pointed out that referring to someone as “historically illiterate” doesn’t equate to being functionally illiterate. Meanwhile, Korean streamer Kangmin Lee chimed in with a critical take on Newsom’s comments.
Additionally, Cruz’s remarks were accompanied by a note from the platform X, clarifying that he was not referring to Newsom’s reading ability, but rather his historical knowledge.
Parker Thayer, a research fellow, further criticized Newsom’s reaction, implying that falsely accusing others of illiteracy is ironic if you’re indeed illiterate. Others commented on perceived gaps in knowledge among prominent Democrats, including AOC.
Republican strategist Erin Maguire joked that Newsom was “much more stupid than we expected,” and Outkick founder Clay Travis suggested that Newsom’s reactions indicated a lack of understanding about the term “historically illiterate.” John Gerardi, of California Right to Life, noted that Newsom has severe dyslexia, which might lead to confusion in language.
In a follow-up, Cruz clarified that he only labeled Newsom as “historically illiterate” because he seemed unaware of past events involving Eisenhower and the National Guard. Cruz emphasized that this historical context was critical to understanding the current political climate.
Throughout his career, Newsom has openly discussed how dyslexia affected his academic performance, even bringing attention to funding for dyslexia research in California’s state budget in 2019. He acknowledged the personal nature of these issues in his writings but had not commented further on the current events as of Tuesday.
