Gavin Newsom 960 SAT Score Controversy: Book Tour Remark Ignites National Firestorm
Gavin Newsom's 960 SAT score comment has exploded into one of the most talked-about political flashpoints of the week. A single viral clip from the California governor's book tour stop in Atlanta has triggered a cross-party debate about race, relatability, and Newsom's ambitions for 2028.
What Gavin Newsom Said About His 960 SAT Score
Speaking alongside Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens at a packed auditorium, Newsom said: "I'm not trying to impress you, I'm just trying to impress upon you I'm like you, I'm not better than you. I'm a 960 SAT guy — and you know, I'm not trying to offend anyone — trying to act all there if you got 940 — but literally, a 960 SAT guy. You've never seen me read a speech because I cannot read a speech."
The comments were part of a book tour for Newsom's new memoir, Young Man in a Hurry, which chronicles his lifelong struggles with dyslexia. The clip spread almost instantly, racking up more than 40 million views on X after the conservative influencer account End Wokeness posted it, with many conservatives characterizing the remark as patronizing and racist.
What Does a 960 SAT Score Actually Mean?
Context matters here — and the actual meaning of a 960 SAT score adds a layer of nuance to the controversy.
A 960 SAT score places test-takers in approximately the top 40th percentile nationwide — better than average, but not extraordinary. A student with this score might be competitive at typical universities but would struggle with prestigious applications. Newsom's framing of the score as evidence of his everyman credentials has been disputed by some who note it is not the failing grade the governor implies.
Republican Backlash: Racist or Relatable?
The response from conservatives was swift and forceful. The Gavin Newsom 960 SAT score moment became a rallying point for critics who accused the governor of condescension toward Black voters.
Republican Senator Tim Scott accused Newsom of "stereotyping Black people," writing: "Black Americans aren't your low bar. We've built empires, created movements, outworked, outhustled and outsmarted people like you. Stop using your mediocre academics as a way to patronize communities."
Corrin Rankin, the first Black chair of the California Republican Party, told Fox News Digital: "I think he just tanked himself yesterday. You can't go around and say that a segment of your state is intellectually inferior and think you're gonna represent Americans. This is gonna haunt him for the rest of his career."
Newsom and His Team Fire Back at Critics
Newsom did not retreat. He and his communications team went on the offensive, framing the backlash as politically engineered and disconnected from the full context of his remarks.
Newsom's communications director pushed back sharply, saying: "First MAGA mocked his dyslexia and now they're calling Gavin Newsom a racist for talking about his low SAT scores. This is fake MAGA-manufactured outrage."
When Fox News host Sean Hannity accused Newsom of using his 960 SAT score to claim common ground with Black Americans, Newsom fired back directly on social media: "You didn't give a shit about the President of the United States posting an ape video of President Obama or calling African nations shitholes — but you're going to call me racist for talking about my lifelong struggle with dyslexia? Spare me your fake outrage, Sean."
Atlanta Mayor Dickens Defends the Exchange
The man sitting next to Newsom during the remark was not offended — and said so publicly, cutting against the narrative that the comments were inherently offensive.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens shared his perspective directly after the controversy broke, writing: "Take it from someone who was actually in the chair asking the questions: context matters more than a headline. That wasn't an attack on anyone. It was a moment of vulnerability about his own journey." Dickens added that Atlanta does not need anyone to tell it when to be offended.
What This Means for Newsom's 2028 Presidential Ambitions
The Gavin Newsom 960 SAT score moment lands at a politically charged time — the governor is actively laying the groundwork for a potential 2028 presidential campaign and his national book tour is designed to build profile in key states.
When asked previously about a presidential bid, Newsom himself framed his low SAT score as part of his self-deprecating pitch: "The idea that a guy who got 960 on his SAT, that still struggles to read scripts, that was always in the back of the classroom — the idea that you even throw that out is in and of itself extraordinary."
Some Democrats sounded a note of caution, warning that Newsom's tendency to shrug off political controversies — while often effective — may signal a pattern of careless messaging that could complicate a future national campaign. Whether the 960 SAT score moment fades or follows Newsom onto a bigger stage may depend entirely on what he does next.
