Overview
- A short clip from Newsom's Atlanta book‑tour interview with Mayor Andre Dickens went viral after being posted by the End Wokeness account, drawing tens of millions of views.
- In the video, Newsom tells the audience he is "like you," calls himself "a 960 SAT guy," and says he cannot read a prepared speech, citing dyslexia.
- Critics including Nicki Minaj, Sen. Ted Cruz, and Rep. Randy Fine labeled the remarks patronizing or racist, with some calling them politically disqualifying.
- Newsom and his team pushed back on X, with the governor blasting Sean Hannity for "fake f---ing outrage" and a spokesperson calling the furor "MAGA-manufactured."
- Outlets contextualized the flap with 2024 College Board data showing average SAT scores of 907 for Black test takers and 1083 for white test takers, as Newsom continues his tour ahead of his memoir's Feb. 24 release.