California Gov. Gavin Newsom is facing accusations of racism after citing his SAT score while speaking with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens at a weekend event promoting his forthcoming memoir, Young Man in a Hurry.
“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,” Newsom told Dickens during the Sunday night conversation.
“And I’m not trying to offend anyone,” the potential 2028 Democratic contender continued. “I’m not trying to act all there if you got 940 … You’ve never seen me read a speech because I cannot read a speech.”
The remarks drew scrutiny because of widely reported SAT performance gaps across demographic groups.
According to College Board 2024 data, the average SAT score for Black or African-American test-takers — who make up roughly 12% of participants — is 907 out of 1600.
White test-takers posted an average score of 1083.
Newsom, a 1989 graduate of Santa Clara University, received a letter of recommendation from former California Gov. Jerry Brown, who had appointed Newsom’s father to serve as a state appellate judge.
The governor has said in his book that his admission to Santa Clara was driven by athletics.
“I don’t think it’s relevant at all,” Newsom told the New York Times earlier this month regarding the Brown letter. “The ticket to Santa Clara came through the baseball, not anything else. And that was the point I was making in the book.”
Rap star Nicki Minaj torched Newsom for his SAT comments, saying, “His way of bonding with black ppl is to tell them how stupid he is & that he can’t read.”
Read Minaj’s full comment and watch the clip below:
His way of bonding with black ppl is to tell them how stupid he is & that he can’t read.
This means my first read on him was correct. He’s been handed so many things & put in high positions he never earned or deserved.
Do you wanna know the craziest part of this footage that… https://t.co/llo1k7F7wB
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) February 23, 2026
More reactions below:
🚨: Gavin Newsom really stood in front of a Black audience and tried to bond by saying:
‘I’m one of y’all. I scored a 960 on the SAT and I can’t read.’
How did this clown make it this far in life? 🤡 @CAgovernor pic.twitter.com/3pAH2maQ1p
— Brandon Tatum (@TheOfficerTatum) February 23, 2026
Gavin Newsom is absolutely KILLING IT with the black crowd in Georgia:
"I am like you. I'm a 960 SAT guy. I can't read. Hopefully that doesn’t offend you.”
Yikes.
pic.twitter.com/psIkJLbtrl— Jack (@jackunheard) February 23, 2026
Gavin Newsom says he relates to black people because he got a 960 on his SAT and “can’t read”.
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 23, 2026
This clip will haunt him forever. https://t.co/prEYrbi72v
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) February 23, 2026