Gavin Newsom mocks Trump after 'see' vs 'sea' remark at White House event

After President Donald Trump, during a White House Mother's Day event, veered into explaining the difference between "see" and "sea" while talking about drug trafficking in the country, California Governor Gavin Newsom took a sarcastic dig at the President, questioning his cognitive abilities. This comes after Newsom mocked Trump for boasting that he "aced" three cognitive tests that he believed former president Barack Obama would not pass last week. 

In the Wednesday event, President Trump said, "You see drug traffic coming into our country is way down, and by sea, by sea, by ocean, by the water," adding, "You know, a lot of people say, 'What do you mean by sea? Is it see like vision?' No, it's S-E-A." Sharing a clip of the President, the California Governor's press office wrote on X, "Time for another cognitive test for grandpa." 

In a later post, the California Governor took another swipe at President Trump, mimicking the President's all-caps social media posts. "LITTLE D'S" BRAIN IS DECLINING RAPIDLY IN REAL TIME. TODAY HE WAS CONFUSED BY THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "SEE" AND "SEA." VERY SAD!" part of the post read. "NO TELEPROMPTERS. NO NOTES. "PERSON, MAN, CAMERA, TV, SQUIRREL, ELEPHANT, GIRAFFE," LET’S SEE WHO PASSES!!!" it added. 

Newsom, one of the harshest and most vocal critics of Trump, has been a frequent target of the President's insults. Last Friday, before boasting about taking cognitive tests, Trump suggested Newsom should also take a cognitive test. "We should give Newsom a cognitive test. I took 3 of them. Aced all of them, by the way. You know, I'm the only president to take a cognitive test," Trump had said. Reacting to the President's statement, Newsom said, "Bragging about being the only president repeatedly asked to take a cognitive test…Right." 

President Trump's fitness to be in office has become a point of friction between lawmakers, with Democrats seeking the 25th Amendment to oust Trump from office. Notably, a Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll revealed that 59% of Americans do not believe Trump has the mental capacity to be President, The Hill reported. More than half of those surveyed also do not believe that the President is physically healthy enough to discharge his duties. Ahead of the midterms, Republicans face a stiff challenge due to President Trump's declining approval rating, partly driven by high prices caused by his tariffs, and more recently, the Iran conflict.