Reed Rebukes “Ignorant” Trump for Stigmatizing People with Dyslexia, Urges POTUS to Apologize & Learn

WASHINGTON, DC - President Donald Trump has made so many cruel, uninformed, and false statements that it can seem daunting to try and correct the record or call out every single instance.

But U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) says President Trump crossed the line when he unfairly denigrated and stigmatized millions of young Americans by characterizing dyslexia as a "mental disability." In an attempt to taunt California Governor Gavin Newsom, Trump implied that people with dyslexia are "stupid" and should be disqualified from being President.

Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental spectrum condition ranging from mild to severe, affecting individuals differently in language processing. Many brilliant and successful individuals have dyslexia, which occurs in people of all backgrounds and intellectual levels. It is the most common learning disability in the U.S. As many as one in five Americans has some type of learning disability, including 4 million children younger than 18 years of age, according to the National Center for Learning Disabilities.

President Trump claimed Governor Newsom disqualified himself from the 2028 presidential race because he "admitted" to having a "mental disability," referring to the governor sharing stories of his struggle with dyslexia. Trump stated: "I don't want a person with mental disability to be my president. You don't want to have a person with a mental disability being your president. And Gavin Newsom said he can't read a speech, he can't do almost anything."

Senator Reed stated: "President Trump's hurtful, ignorant comments were offensive and wrong. Instead of taunting people with learning differences, he should educate himself and apologize. Kids with dyslexia are not limited by President Trump's narrowmindedness. They deserve to be judged on their individual merits, not branded 'stupid' or 'disqualified' by an incredibly unself-aware person who seems to be the first president to use the bully pulpit to actively bully children with learning differences."

Senator Reed notes that children with dyslexia are often skilled problem solvers and may be gifted in other ways. In fact, many high achievers today and leaders throughout history struggled with language as children, were believed to have been dyslexic, or have been officially diagnosed. This includes President Trump's former director of the U.S. National Economic Council, Gary Cohn, who was COO of Goldman Sachs, and whose official Trump White House announcement touted Cohn's dyslexia.

Senator Reed says he hopes the silver lining of this incident is that it raises awareness and leads to a better understanding of dyslexia so that more young people with dyslexia can get the screening, identification, and corresponding support they need to achieve their full potential.

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Tweet