Joe Borelli pummels ‘stupid’ Gavin Newsom as CNN’s Sara Sidner runs cover

Former Republican New York City Councilman Joe Borelli blasted Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday as CNN host Sara Sidner defended him.

After Sidner played a clip during the “Table For Five” segment of “CNN Saturday Morning” in which President Donald Trump said Newsom should not seek the White House because of his dyslexia and called him “stupid,” she asked Borelli if those comments were a “huge mistake.” Borelli said Trump should not equate dyslexia with a lack of intelligence, but he agreed Newsom was “stupid.”

WATCH:

🚨NEW: @JoeBorelliNYC PUMMELS Gavin Newsom as CNN Host Sara Sidner *repeatedly* runs cover for him🚨

BORELLI: “Is it right to call Gavin Newsom stupid? Yeah, why not? Trump gets called EVERY single name in the book.”

SIDNER: “But he’s the president!”

BORELLI: “I think Gavin… pic.twitter.com/51tHaPb8u5

— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) March 29, 2026

“[I]s it right to call Gavin Newsom stupid? Yes, why not? I mean, Trump gets called every single name in the book all the time, calling him stupid,” Borelli said.

Sidner interrupted the Republican to note that Trump was the president.

“He’s the president who gets called a dictator, a fascist, a white supremacist, a racist,” Borelli retorted. “So when he calls someone who is potentially a challenger to presumably the candidate of his party stupid — and by the way, I think Gavin Newsom is stupid because he’s made stupid decisions on high speed rail energy, sanctuary city policies — all those things indicate to me that, yes, he is stupid, and people flee his state continuously because of those policies. So I’m not concerned about Trump calling him stupid. Dyslexia is a different thing.”

“It’s one of the biggest economic powerhouses in this country,” Sidner responded.

Borelli said, however, California’s economic strength was primarily due to its large population. He also noted that numerous Californians have moved out of the Golden State.

“[M]ore people have left the state of California because of decisions made by not just Gavin Newsom, but the California legislature as well,” he said. “More people have left that state and fled because of those decisions. It’s fair and a good criticism for Republicans to be pointing out that those policies are stupid.”

Newsom has faced criticism from California voters for years over his policies, including those on crime and homelessness.

Hoover Institution Senior Fellow Victor Davis Hanson also accused Newsom of stupidity during a Tuesday episode of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words.”

“[E]very time he opens his mouth, he says something either foul, vile, mean, stupid, self-incriminating,” Hanson said.

Moreover, Democratic strategist James Carville became incensed during a March 19 Politicon video in response to Trump saying Newsom should not become president due to his dyslexia.

“I love that I have dyslexia. I love that I have a short attention span. The only thing that I’ve ever been able to concentrate on in my whole life is how much I fucking hate you,” Carville said. “I can concentrate on that all day. And you know what? I’m glad I’m like that … I’m asking all of you out there who are dealing with some learning disability or dealing with a child or a family member that has some learning [disability] to hate that son of a bitch just as much as I do.”

Newsom ranks second, behind former Vice President Kamala Harris, in 2028 Democratic primary polling, according to the RealClearPolling average. An April poll by the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies found 54% of 6,201 registered voters felt Newsom was “doing things that might benefit him as a possible candidate for president,” while only 26% thought he was “governing the state and helping to solve its problems.”

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