03/19/2026
This week, the President of the United States said this about a political rival:
โA president should not have learning disabilities.โ He added: โEverything about him is dumb.โ
I canโt let that pass without saying something.
Iโm Mark Cronin, co-founder of Johnโs Crazy Socks. My business partner is John Cronin, my son, and John has Down syndrome. Together we built our company on a single belief: that people with differing abilities have something extraordinary to offer the world.
When the President suggests a learning disability disqualifies someone from leadership, I take that personally. And I think you should too.
Dyslexia is not a measure of intelligence. It is a different way of processing information. Some of the most remarkable people in history had dyslexia: Richard Branson, Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, John Lennon, Agatha Christie, Picasso. Some scholars suggest that George Washington was dyslexic. Different minds. Extraordinary impact.
At Johnโs Crazy Socks, more than half our colleagues have a differing ability. We donโt lower our standards. We rethink how work gets done. And what weโve built together โ the loyalty, the creativity, the genuine human connection at the heart of this business โ could never have happened if weโd screened people out instead of welcoming them in.
Inclusion isnโt a favor we do for people. Itโs how you build something worth building.
Words from leaders matter. When the most powerful person in the country tells the world that a learning disability makes someone unfit, that message lands in classrooms, in hiring offices, in the hearts of people who are already fighting to be seen.
We can do better. We must do better.
If you believe, as I do, that every person deserves a real chance to contribute, I hope youโll share this post. Not as a political statement. As a human one.
John and I have spent nearly a decade proving whatโs possible when you believe in people. Weโre not stopping now. ๐งฆโค๏ธ
