More Than 8 in 10 Truth Social Posts Where Trump Calls Someone “Low IQ” Feature a Person of Color
8 in 10 Posts by Trump Calling Someone “Low IQ” Target a Person of Color
One communications expert described the term as “a racist dog whistle with a long history in the US.”
President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 23, 2026.
Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images
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In a Truth Social post last week, President Donald Trump referred to Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as a “low IQ person.”
Trump repeated that line of attack in a separate post this past weekend, directed at former MAGA ally Candace Owens. His post included a doctored image of Time magazine labeling the conservative pundit as “Vile Person of the Year.”
Trump’s use of the insult “low IQ” to deride political rivals or people he considers enemies is not exclusive to people of color. But an examination of the president’s social media posts shows that he overwhelmingly uses the term to target nonwhite people — and communications experts say that the phrase serves as a racist dog whistle to members of his political base.
Using search tools available at TrumpsTruth.org, Truthout examined every Truth Social post by Trump that included the term “IQ” from January 20, 2025, through April 25, 2026. In total, Trump used the term “low IQ” or some variation of it in 24 posts.
Trump referred to a white person as “low IQ” in just 32 percent of those posts, while 84 percent of the posts were directed at Black or Brown people.
In his comments last Wednesday, Trump attacked the Supreme Court in general, whining that the liberal bloc of justices “ALWAYS vote as a group.” But he singled out Jackson as “that new, Low IQ person, that somehow found her way to the bench.”
Although Trump didn’t list her by name, the insult was clearly directed at Jackson, as he noted that the justice in question was appointed by former President Joe Biden. The post referred to the strong likelihood that the court will rule against Trump’s attempt to rewrite the 14th Amendment’s interpretation of birthright citizenship, an effort widely understood as an attempt to further codify white supremacy in the U.S.
In the first 10 months of his second term, Trump never once referred to a white person as “low IQ,” leveling that attack solely against nonwhite people. Although Trump has called figures like California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and actor Robert De Niro “low IQ” since then, most of his “low IQ” attacks on white people have been directed at former Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and conservative pundits like Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly. Notably, the white people Trump most often refers to as “low IQ” are not his typical political adversaries (e.g. Democrats, progressives, etc.), but rather right-wing individuals who once endorsed him but have since criticized his actions in office.
Among the Black or Brown individuals Trump has targeted with the term are House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York), Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, hosts of the television program The View, Rev. Al Sharpton, radio host Charlamagne “Tha God,” and Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota), Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan), and Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), among others. Trump has targeted Crockett with no fewer than eight separate posts, calling her “low IQ” in each of them.
Trump — never one to stray from name-calling his political opponents — appears to take a more hostile tone against Black and Brown people. Many of his posts describing Black or Brown individuals as “low IQ” contain additional negative monikers. In one, he described commentator Donna Brazile as “dumb as a rock”; in another, he described female members of the Democratic “Squad” as having “bulging, bloodshot eyes of crazy people,” calling them “LUNATICS, mentally deranged and sick who, frankly, look like they should be institutionalized.”
The president has also indicated that his hatred for people he deems to be “low IQ” is based on a bigoted understanding of genetics. In one post, for example, he states that he believes people with lower IQs are “born that way.”
Experts say Trump’s disproportionate attempts to associate the term with nonwhite individuals are intended as a signal for racists within his far right base.
“Trump’s characterization of people of color as ‘low IQ’ is a racist dog whistle with a long history in the U.S.,” said Karrin Vasby Anderson, communications studies professor at Colorado State University, speaking to AFP about the matter.
Anderson continued:
Trump and his audience can say that there’s nothing racist about ‘low IQ’ because that label could be applied to anyone. When Trump uses it primarily against Black people, however, and when it’s connected to this very specific history of how Black people have been framed in US culture since the 19th century, the white supremacists and casual racists in Trump’s audience will respond favorably.
Trump’s use of “low IQ” as a racist dog whistle is just one example of the president publicly expressing bigoted views. Over the past few years, Trump has:
Posted a transcript of a far right podcast in which the host complained that immigrants from China and India aren’t “like the European Americans of today and their ancestors”;
Shared a video on social media depicting former first lady Michelle Obama and former President Barack Obama as apes, a centuries-old racist trope against Black people;
And repeatedly described immigrants as “animals,” saying they are “poisoning the blood of our country” during a 2024 presidential campaign event — commentary that echoes rhetoric by Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
Trump Signs Order Expediting Drugs for Mental Health Treatment
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Saturday that he said “directs the FDA to expedite their review of certain psychedelics already designated as breakthrough therapy drugs.” A primary objective of the order is to speed treatment for veterans.
“The executive order I’m signing, we’re actually signing the executive order today, is really a moment,” Trump said. “These treatments are currently in the advanced stages of clinical trials to ensure that they’re both safe and effective for the American patients.”
The president said the executive order would implement “historic reforms to dramatically accelerate access to new medical research and treatments based on psychedelic drugs.” Citing the elevated veteran suicide rate, the president added: “In many cases, these experimental treatments have shown life-changing potential for those suffering from severe mental illness and depression, including our cherished veterans.”
“And the nice part is we’re actually doing this early, but it has been going on. Research has been going on for quite some time. But, you know, usually with things like this, nothing ever happens, no matter how the research ends up, but we’re changing that. This order will clear away unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles, improve data sharing among the FDA and the Department of Veterans Affairs, and facilitate fast rescheduling of any psychedelic drugs that become FDA approved,” Trump continued.
The president said “in 2024, a study from Stanford University, 30 special operation veterans with traumatic brain injuries underwent — it’s called ibogaine treatment — ibogaine, remember the name,” noting that they “experienced an 80 to 90% reduction in symptoms of depression and anxiety within one month.”
“In Texas, Republican leaders have already committed $50 million to the ibogaine research. And today, the federal government is making a $50 million research investment in its own. And so that was just approved just last night,” Trump announced.
“We’re also opening a pathway for ibogaine to be administered to desperately ill patients under the right to try law,” Trump said.
“Today’s order will ensure that people suffering from debilitating symptoms might finally have a chance to reclaim their lives and lead a happier life, just lead a happier life,” he added.
Two weeks ago, Trump signed a sweeping executive order aimed at tightening federal oversight of election integrity, directing multiple agencies to expand voter eligibility verification and impose new controls on mail-in ballots.
The order, titled “Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections,” outlines a series of measures that would increase coordination between federal agencies and state election officials, while also establishing new procedures for how ballots are distributed and tracked through the mail system.
At the core of the directive is a requirement that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), working with the Social Security Administration (SSA), compile and transmit lists of individuals confirmed to be U.S. citizens to state election authorities. These “State Citizenship Lists” would be generated using federal databases, including immigration and Social Security records, and updated regularly ahead of federal elections.
According to the order, the lists are intended to help states verify voter eligibility, though inclusion on the list would not automatically register an individual to vote. State laws and procedures would still govern registration requirements.
The order also calls for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to prioritize investigations and potential prosecutions related to election law violations. This includes cases involving the distribution of ballots to individuals deemed ineligible to vote, as well as any actors—public or private—who may be involved in producing or sending such ballots.
In a significant expansion of federal involvement in mail voting procedures, the directive instructs the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to develop new rules governing the handling of mail-in and absentee ballots. Within 60 days, the Postmaster General is required to initiate a rulemaking process that would standardize ballot tracking and verification measures nationwide.
Under the proposed framework, all mail-in ballots would be required to use specially marked envelopes designated as official election mail. These envelopes must include unique tracking barcodes and meet specific design standards set by USPS to ensure compatibility with automated processing systems.
Trump Says He’s in No Hurry to Make Deal With Iran
The president gave an update on negotiations between Washington and Tehran in a weekend interview.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on March 26, 2026 in Washington. This is Trump's second Cabinet meeting of 2026 and the first since the United States and Israel began attacking Iran on Feb. 28, 2026. Chip Somodevilla/Getty U.S. President Donald Trump, in an interview published on May 30, said that he is in no hurry to make a deal with Iran to end the war, saying that neither Washington nor Tehran has signed an agreement yet.
“I’d like to say I’m in a hurry because gasoline prices are going to come tumbling down, but if you’re going to be in a hurry, you’re not going to make a good deal,” Trump told Fox News. “And slowly but surely we’re getting, I think, what we want, and if we don’t get what we want, we’re going to end it a different way.”
For weeks, the United States and Iran have been working to come to an agreement that would end the war, which started in February, as the conflict remains in a ceasefire. On May 29, Trump released the terms of a deal with Tehran and said he would be making a final decision soon.
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Along with demanding that Iran not obtain a nuclear weapon, Trump said in a post on Truth Social that the Strait of Hormuz must be opened “in both directions” and that Tehran must “complete the immediate removal and/or detonation of any mines that are left.”
Since the start of the conflict, the strait has effectively remained shut down, sending oil and gas prices surging, as the strait allows for the transit of about a fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas. As of May 31, gas prices in the United States averaged $4.34 per gallon, according to the American Automobile Association.
A White House official told The Epoch Times on May 29 that a White House meeting in the Situation Room on Iran lasted approximately two hours. No details were provided.
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Iran on May 31 claimed that the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) shot down a U.S. military drone that entered its airspace, in comments carried by state-run Tasnim News. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has not publicly commented on the incident.
A top Iranian official, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, also said on May 31 that Tehran’s military force is “pushing back the enemy in a great and history-making war,” referring to the United States, according to state-run media. He also claimed that the United States has retreated from the conflict while pushing a narrative of unity in the Iranian regime.
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In his May 29 post on Truth Social, Trump also wrote that mines would be removed from the strait and that ships trapped there may start to go home.
“Say HELLO to your wives, husbands, parents, and families from me, your favorite President!” he said.
On May 30, War Department Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States would restart attacks against Iran if no deal can be reached and that the military’s ammunition stockpiles are being replenished.
“Our ability to recommence if necessary ... we are more than capable,” Hegseth told reporters in Singapore. “Our stockpiles are more than suited for that, both there and around the globe, so we’re in a very good place.”
The Pentagon head said that Trump was “patient” and that the president wants to make a “great deal” that ensures that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon.
Reuters contributed to this report.
