Gov. Gavin Newsom‘s (D-CA) press office pushed back on online criticism over comments he made Sunday night during his book tour.
Newsom is promoting his new book, Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery, and sat for a one-on-one discussion with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens in Georgia. Newsom said his book is “a very human story,” and he’s not “trying to be someone I’m not” while speaking to Dickens and the audience.
“I’m not trying to impress you, I’m just trying to impress upon you I’m like you,” Newsom said. “I’m no better than you. You know, I’m a 960 SAT guy, and I’m not trying to offend anyone, trying to act all there if you got 940. But literally, a 960 SAT guy.”
“I cannot, you’ve never seen me read a speech because I cannot read a speech. Maybe the wrong business to be in. I haven’t overcome dyslexia, I’m living with it,” Newsom said.
The governor’s comments have gone viral, kicking up a storm of reactions by users on X. However, Newsom’s office dismissed the controversy as “MAGA-manufactured outrage.”
“First MAGA mocked his dyslexia and now they’re calling him racist for talking about his low SAT scores. This is fake MAGA-manufactured outrage,” Newsom’s office said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “The Governor has said this publicly for years — including with Charlie Kirk and dozens of other audiences. The same people who excused or ignored Trump’s racist ape video can go f*** themselves.”
Musician Nicki Minaj, an ally of President Donald Trump, slammed the clip of Newsom on X, saying the governor saying “how stupid he is & that he can’t read” is how he bonds with black people, referring to this demographic’s high population in Atlanta. Washington Examiner’s senior writer Joe Concha also deemed Newsom’s comments “disqualifying.”
“His way of bonding with black ppl is to tell them how stupid he is & that he can’t read,” Minaj said on X. “This means my first read on him was correct. He’s been handed so many things & put in high positions he never earned or deserved.
“This is disqualifying. Run this ad over and over in 2027-2028…” Concha said on X.
“The soft bigotry of low expectations…” Sen. Ted Cruz (D-CA) said on X.
“When Biden came out with disgusting, patronizing racism like this he could blame it on being senile. What’s Newsom’s excuse?” Republican California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton said on X.
“Gavin Newsom just said he is like a black person because he got a bad SAT score and can’t read,” Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) said on X. “I wish I could come up with something witty, but it’s so disgusting, I can’t. I look forward to all my Democrat colleagues in Congress demanding his resignation tomorrow.”
THERE IS AN IDEA OF GAVIN NEWSOM
Newsom also spoke about the 250th anniversary of the United States, saying he hopes people realize how important they are in writing “the story” of this landmark birthday. He added that this is needed to uphold “the rule of law over the rule of Don,” a dig at Trump.
Newsom’s book will be released on February 24th. His book tour comes as he is finishing his final year in the governor’s mansion, and he is said to be considering a 2028 White House run.
