Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday sharply criticized \u201cfake MAGA-manufactured outage\u201d over his comments about his low SAT score in Atlanta Sunday during his national book tour. <\/p>\n
Conservative commentators, Trump loyalists and right-wing media outlets accused the California governor and potential 2028 presidential candidate of disparaging Black Americans when he was discussing his struggles with dyslexia. <\/p>\n
\u201cFirst MAGA mocked his dyslexia and now they\u2019re calling him racist for talking about his low SAT scores,\u201d said Izzy Gardon, a spokesperson for Newsom, in a statement. \u201cThe governor has said this publicly for years \u2014 including with [the late conservative commentator] Charlie Kirk and dozens of other audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n
During a conversation with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens<\/a>, who is a Black politician, Newsom was asked what he wanted the audience and readers to know about him. The governor, in a long-winded response, said he wasn\u2019t trying to impress anyone, but \u201cpress upon you I\u2019m like you.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m no better than you,\u201d Newsom said. \u201cI\u2019m a 960 SAT guy.\u201d <\/p>\n The governor continued to discuss his dyslexia and struggle to read. <\/p>\n Right-wing personalities pounced.<\/p>\n President Trump\u2019s political operation accused Newsom of calling \u201cblack people dumb<\/a>.\u201d Former Fox News personality Megyn Kelly declared that the comment would \u201chaunt him forever,<\/a>\u201d and Republican Sens. Tim Scott of South Carolina<\/a> and Rick Scott of Florida<\/a> belittled the governor. Rapper Nicki Minaj, an outspoken Trump supporter, criticized him, too.<\/a> <\/p>\n \u201c[Gavin Newsom] Thinks a 960 SAT Makes Him \u2018Like\u2019 Black Americans. Let That Sink In,\u201d Fox News commentator Sean Hannity posted on the social media platform X.<\/a> <\/p>\n Newsom offered a profanity-laced retort to Hannity, <\/a> accusing him of long ignoring President Trump\u2019s racist remarks and social media posts, then feigning outrage a Newsom\u2019s innocent remarks.<\/p>\n \u201cYou didn\u2019t give a shit about the President of the United States of America posting an ape video of President Obama or calling African nations shitholes \u2014 but you\u2019re going to call me racist for talking about my lifelong struggle with dyslexia?\u201d Newsom posted on X. \u201cSpare me your fake fucking outrage, Sean.\u201d <\/p>\n Gardon pointed out that Newsom was speaking to a mixed-race audience during the conversation with Dickens. <\/p>\n Dickens also rejected<\/a> the allegations that Newsom was being racist.<\/p>\n \u201cTake it from someone who was actually in the chair asking the questions: context matters more than a headline,\u201d Dickens said on Instagram. \u201cThe conversation around his new book included him speaking about his own academic struggles, including not doing well on the SAT. That wasn\u2019t an attack on anyone. It was a moment of vulnerability about his own journey.\u201d<\/p>\n Sunday\u2019s event wasn\u2019t the first time Newsom mentioned his SAT score. The governor has cited his performance on the test many times in conversations about his dyslexia and issues with self-esteem growing up, including during an interview with The Times about his new memoir \u201cYoung Man in a Hurry<\/a>\u201d earlier this month. <\/p>\n \u201cCome on, I\u2019m a 960 SAT guy, governor of the fourth largest economy in the world,\u201d Newsom told The Times. \u201cI\u2019m a guy, you know, with sweaty hands as described in the book, you know, who can\u2019t read a speech, and I\u2019m governor. I\u2019m talking to you. Come on, the whole thing is sort of fascinating.\u201d <\/p>\n Newsom used the low score as an example of the grit and resilience he learned from his mother. <\/p>\n The governor is accustomed to sparring with Republicans on social media. Ring-wing furor over his remarks, whether justified or politically motivated, is likely to continue as he flirts with a 2028 presidential run. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve gotten so used to loud, chest-pounding politics that when someone speaks about shortcomings, people try to twist it into something else,\u201d Dickens, said in his post on Instagram. \u201cLet me be clear though. This is Atlanta. We don\u2019t need anyone to tell us when to be offended. And history has shown… when we are, you\u2019ll know.\u201d<\/p>\n