California Gov. Gavin Newsom has already had a busy week. He’s been keeping the intrigue alive about a potential 2028 presidential run and has dodged accusations that he made racist comments during a recent interview.
Let’s get into it, starting with Newsom’s comments.
“I’m not trying to impress you. I’m just trying to impress upon you, I’m like you, I’m no better than you. I’m a 960 SAT guy,” he said while speaking to Atlanta, Ga., Mayor Andre Dickens in front of a live audience on Sunday. Newsom was referring to his struggle with dyslexia, a learning disorder he said helped him develop more empathy for people and made him more resilient.
Dyslexia is a common learning disability that disrupts how the brain processes language, per the Cleveland Clinic. Research indicates that up to 20% of people in the U.S. are affected by dyslexia and it can run in families – Newsom revealed that it has popped up in his children.
During the talk with Dickens, Newsom promoted his new book, “Young Man in a Hurry” in which he details these struggles. He admitted that he hasn’t overcome dyslexia, and that he still struggles to read political speeches, but that he’s also proud of it. Newsom has also brought up his low SAT score before, during a chat with the late conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
This time, however, it sparked criticism from the right.
“His way of bonding with black ppl is to tell them how stupid he is & that he can’t read,” said rapper Nicki Minaj – who recently surprised many of her fans by declaring her support for Republican President Donald Trump – in an X post.
Fox News host Sean Hannity also posted that Newsom “Thinks a 960 SAT Makes Him 'Like' Black Americans. Let That Sink In,” in an X post.
While Newsom was speaking to Dickens, a Black American, when he made the comments, photos of the audience showed that it was multicultural, a significant portion of non-Black attendees. Dickens also defended the governor in an Instagram post.
“Take it from someone who was actually in the chair asking the questions: context matters more than a headline,” he said. “The conversation around his new book included him speaking about his own academic struggles, including not doing well on the SAT. That wasn’t an attack on anyone. It was a moment of vulnerability about his own journey.”
Newsom himself clapped back at Hannity’s post on X.
“You didn’t give a s**t about the President of the United States of America posting an ape video of President Obama or calling African nations s**tholes – but you’re going to call me racist for talking about my lifelong struggle with dyslexia? Spare me your fake f**king outrage, Sean,” he said.
Newsom often calls out racism on social media. Just this month, he called Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) a “racist slob,” after the congressman said “the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one,” and criticized Trump’s posting of the offensive video depicting the Obamas.
Now that we’ve covered the latest Newsom vs. Republicans spat, we can move on to what he said about a potential run for the White House in 2028.
“That decision, whatever it may be, they’re going to make it,” he said, referring to his wife and four children. He also shared an anecdote that doesn’t necessarily make a Newsom campaign seem likely.
The governor shared that his 14-year-old son told him that he hopes Newsom doesn’t run to be the president. Hunter Newsom told his father that he’s too young for him to take on that position, that he needs him at home.
“There’s many moments to come, and we’ll see where that journey takes us,” Newsom also told Dickens.
Trump posted: “Wow! Gavin Newscum just dropped out of the Presidential Race!!!” on Truth Social Tuesday, and Newsom responded by telling the president and others to read page 69 of his book.
As of this Tuesday, Newsom was at the head of the pack of potential Democratic candidates for the upcoming election. A recent Echelon Insights poll put him ahead of former Vice President Kamala Harris (who lost the 2024 election to Trump after filling in for former President Joe Biden months into the campaign season).
Kalshi and Ploymarket also put Newsom far in the lead as Democratic candidate, with progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.) coming in a distant second on both sites. Regarding a hypothetical overall 2028 winner, the betting markets were both predicting a win for current Vice President JD Vance. Kalshi showed Vance at 23% compared to Newsom’s 19% and Polymarket showed him at 23.3% to Newsom’s 17.3%.