
In a stunning digital broadside, California's Governor Gavin Newsom has directly accused former President Donald Trump of suffering from 'dementia,' leveraging the billionaire's own artificial intelligence creation to deliver the insult.
The political firestorm erupted not on a traditional news platform, but within the confines of X (formerly Twitter), where Newsom responded to a user's query posed to 'Grok' – the AI chatbot developed by Trump's own platform, Truth Social's parent company. The user had asked Grok to analyse Newsom's potential as a Democratic presidential candidate.
Seizing the opportunity, Newsom quoted the query and issued a blistering retort: "Honestly, I’m not interested. But if I were, I’d be more concerned with the dementia-addled candidate who currently leads your party.’’ The move was widely seen as a masterful piece of political trolling, using Trump's own technological venture to host the attack.
The Grok Response That Sparked a War of Words
Grok's analysis of Newsom, which prompted the Governor's outburst, was notably critical. The AI suggested a Newsom presidential run would be "a fascinating spectacle of political ambition and public policy" but questioned his ability to connect with middle-America, citing his "coastal elite persona" and his governance of a state with a significant homelessness crisis.
Rather than addressing the critique, Newsom's strategists clearly saw a greater opportunity: to pivot and go on the offensive against the likely Republican nominee. The insult echoes years of similar accusations Trump himself has levelled at others, including President Joe Biden.
A Strategic Political Gambit
Political analysts suggest Newsom's attack serves a dual purpose. Firstly, it energises the Democratic base by demonstrating aggressive opposition to Trump. Secondly, it positions Newsom himself as a fearless and sharp-witted contender, solidifying his status as a top-tier successor should Biden not run in 2028.
The incident highlights the new frontier of political campaigning: AI platforms. By engaging with Grok, Newsom brought the chatbot into the mainstream political discourse, demonstrating how these tools will inevitably be weaponised in future elections.
This very public and technologically savvy clash underscores the increasingly digital and personal nature of modern political warfare, where every platform—even one owned by your opponent—becomes a potential battlefield.