California Gov. Gavin Newsom faced backlash after telling Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and an audience in Georgia that he scored 960 on the SAT and said he cannot read prepared speeches, remarks critics argued were patronizing. Newsom said he was describing his lifelong struggle with dyslexia.
On Sunday night in Atlanta, California Governor Gavin Newsom appeared at an event tied to the release of his memoir, Young Man in a Hurry, and spoke onstage with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.
In remarks captured on video and widely shared online, Newsom said he was trying to communicate that he was not trying to appear superior. “I’m like you. I’m not better than you,” he said. “I’m a 960 SAT guy.” He added, “I’m not trying to offend anyone,” before saying, “You’ve never seen me read a speech because I cannot read a speech,” attributing his difficulty reading prepared remarks to dyslexia.
The clip spread rapidly on X after being posted by a popular account, prompting criticism from commentators who argued Newsom’s attempt to sound relatable carried racial overtones because Dickens is Black and the event was described in some posts as being aimed at Black voters. Other coverage noted that the excerpt circulating online did not show the full context of the exchange and that the crowd shown in available photos appeared racially mixed.
Some critics pointed to differences in average SAT performance by race to argue the remarks echoed stereotypes. Separate reporting citing College Board’s 2024 SAT profile data put the average score for Black or African American test takers at 907 and the average for white test takers at 1083.
Public figures also weighed in. Rapper Nicki Minaj criticized Newsom in a social media post, accusing him of speaking in a slowed, patronizing manner. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, called the episode an example of the “soft bigotry of low expectations.” Rep. Randy Fine, a Florida Republican, wrote that Newsom “just said he is like a black person because he got a bad SAT score and can’t read,” calling it “disgusting.”
On Monday, Newsom responded to criticism in an expletive-filled post on X directed at Fox News host Sean Hannity, arguing that critics were ignoring what he described as former President Donald Trump’s racist behavior while condemning him for discussing dyslexia. “You didn’t give a sh*t about the President of the United States of America posting an ape video of President Obama or calling African nations sh*tholes — but you’re going to call me racist for talking about my lifelong struggle with dyslexia?” he wrote. “Spare me your fake f*cking outrage, Sean.”
Newsom’s memoir, Young Man in a Hurry, is listed by its publisher as scheduled for release on February 24, 2026.
