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The remarks lit up conservative media and social platforms within hours. Critics argued that what Newsom framed as humility came across as condescending — particularly given that he made the comments before a largely Black audience.
Sen. Ted Cruz blasted the governor, accusing him of engaging in “the soft bigotry of low expectations.” Cruz reposted a message from political scientist Carol M. Swain calling it “Liberal racism on display.”
Sen. Tim Scott also weighed in forcefully on X, writing, “Black Americans aren’t your low bar. We’ve built empires, created movements, outworked, outhustled and outsmarted people like you.”
Rep. Randy Fine accused Newsom of implying he was “like a black person because he got a bad SAT score and can’t read.”
Even outside of politics, backlash intensified. Music superstar Nicki Minaj criticized the governor, writing that his “way of bonding with black ppl is to tell them how stupid he is & that he can’t read.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump jumped into the fray on Truth Social with characteristic flair: “Wow! Gavin Newscum just dropped out of the Presidential Race!!!”
Beyond the rhetoric, critics also point to hard numbers. According to 2024 College Board data, the average SAT score for Black or African American test takers is 907 out of 1600, while White students average 1083. For opponents, Newsom’s framing seemed tone-deaf at best and insulting at worst.
Newsom, now 58, graduated from Santa Clara University in 1989. He has publicly discussed his struggles with dyslexia and has claimed that a partial baseball scholarship helped secure his admission. When asked about a recommendation letter from former California Gov. Jerry Brown — who had appointed Newsom’s father to a state appellate judgeship — the governor dismissed its importance.
“I don’t think it’s relevant at all,” Newsom said earlier this month regarding the Brown letter. “The ticket to Santa Clara came through the baseball, not anything else.”
After Fox News host Sean Hannity spotlighted the controversy, Newsom lashed out on X, invoking his dyslexia and accusing critics of hypocrisy.
“You didn’t give a s— about the President of the United States of America posting an ape video of President Obama or calling African nations s—holes — but you’re going to call me racist for talking about my lifelong struggle with dyslexia?” Newsom wrote. “Spare me your fake f—ing outrage, Sean.”
Still, the resurfaced photos and the Atlanta remarks have fueled growing skepticism about Newsom’s authenticity. As he travels beyond California promoting his memoir and expanding his national presence, every word is being parsed — and every image scrutinized.
For a governor widely rumored to be eyeing 2028, the episode underscores a simple political truth: branding yourself as “just like everyone else” becomes far more complicated when the receipts tell a different story.
What a POS!!