California Governor Gavin Newsom fired back at President Donald Trump on January 6, 2026, after Trump questioned whether Newsom could pass a cognitive test during a speech.
The exchange began when Trump, addressing the House GOP Member Retreat in Washington, suggested that all presidents and vice presidents should be required to take cognitive exams to assess mental competency. Trump claimed he was the only president to have taken such a test voluntarily.
In his remarks, Trump specifically singled out several Democratic figures, including Newsom. According to a clip shared by Fox News on X, Trump stated: “I don’t think Gavin could. He’s got a good line of crap, but other than that he couldn’t pass.”
Trump went on to criticize Newsom’s handling of water policy in California, claiming it contributed to wildfires: “Here is the guy who didn’t want to have water coming down from Pacific Northwest. Why? You know they had little tiny fish. Little tiny fish. Not doing well, you know why? No water… So they cut it off. And then they have 25,000 houses burned down. They don’t know why.”
Hours later, Newsom responded directly on X, quoting the Fox News post that featured the video clip of Trump’s comments. Referencing Trump’s past boasts about acing the Montreal Cognitive Assessment—specifically recalling the sequence “Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV.”—Newsom wrote:
“Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV.
@realDonaldTrump, if you’re so confident, let’s do it. Name your time and place.”
Newsom’s post quickly gained traction, highlighting the ongoing political rivalry between the two figures. The challenge underscores Newsom’s willingness to confront Trump head-on, turning the president’s criticism into a direct public showdown over cognitive testing.
