“Calling a dyslexic person illiterate is a new low, even for him,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said, responding sharply to Senator Ted Cruz’s criticism of his recent comments on federal law enforcement. Newsom framed Cruz’s remarks as a personal attack that ignored his lifelong experience as a dyslexic and misrepresented the intent behind his statements.
Ted Cruz calling a dyslexic person illiterate is a new low, even for him. https://t.co/XC75ybiGKd
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) February 16, 2026
Newsom has openly discussed his dyslexia for years, describing the challenges he faced growing up. In 2016, he highlighted Dyslexia Awareness Month, stating, “As a proud dyslexic, this month is important to me as we work to demystify what dyslexia means.” He has also shared that as a child he thought he was “stupid” and only gradually recognized his abilities after learning he was dyslexic. This context was central to his rebuttal of Cruz’s charge that he was “historically illiterate.”
As a proud dyslexic, this month is important to me as we work to demystify what dyslexia means. @DDCalifornia https://t.co/btYLjqalbX
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) October 16, 2016
Cruz’s criticism centered on a speech Newsom delivered in Munich, in which the governor described the federal deployment of 4,000 National Guard members and 700 active-duty Marines in a major U.S. city. In the remarks, Newsom said, “Masked men. Masked men showing up unaccountable,” drawing a comparison to images of authoritarian policing in Germany. Cruz labeled these comments “historically illiterate,” noting that federal troops have previously been deployed in U.S. cities, including during the civil rights era under President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
You're gonna wanna bookmark this for when he runs for president.
— Blue Lives Matter (@bluelivesmtr) February 16, 2026
While in Germany, far-left @CAgovernor Newsom smeared American #lawenforcement by comparing them to Nazis.
NEWSOM: "Masked men, secret police, something familiar in Germany."
THIS is what he thinks of the men and… pic.twitter.com/dN073BbKWy
Cruz played clips of Newsom’s Munich remarks alongside similar statements from former President Barack Obama, arguing that the pattern reflects a Democratic tendency to demonize law enforcement. “Gavin Newsom is proudly following the tradition of Bull Connor, another Democrat politician,” Cruz said. “The demonizing of law enforcement is central to who they are, central to who the party is.”
Newsom’s response focused on the personal nature of Cruz’s attack rather than the substance of his original remarks. By highlighting his lifelong experience with dyslexia, he framed the senator’s comments as insensitive, saying that the label of “illiterate” was an unfair characterization of his abilities and public service.
The governor’s statement reinforced his broader message that personal attacks should not distract from public discourse. By calling attention to the dyslexia context, Newsom emphasized the importance of understanding different experiences and avoiding rhetoric that misrepresents individuals based on cognitive or learning differences, rather than engaging with the content of their statements.
