California governor Gavin Newsom spoke to a group of voters in Atlanta, Georgia, during an event promoting his memoir Young Man in a Hurry, where he discussed his own educational challenges. He addressed Black voters directly, saying he shared struggles similar to theirs.During the conversation with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, Newsom said he had scored 960 on the SAT, a standardized college entrance test. He also mentioned that he struggles with reading, adding, “You’ve never seen me read a speech because I cannot read a speech.” He said: “I’m not trying to impress you — I’m just trying to impress upon you that I’m like you. I’m no better than you. I’m a 960 SAT guy. You’ve never seen me read a speech because I cannot read a speech.”He framed these comments as a way to relate to the audience and that he had faced challenges in school and wanted voters to understand his personal experiences.

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Newsom later responded to the outrage by bringing up a video shared by Trump in which Obama was portrayed as a monkey: “You didn’t give a s*** about the President of the United States of America posting an ape video of President Obama or calling African nations s***holes — but you’re going to call me racist for talking about my lifelong struggle with dyslexia?”The Blue state leader has previously acknowledged his dyslexia, a learning disorder that affects reading and writing. In this event, he said he hoped his story would show voters that he understands overcoming obstacles in education and personal development.The governor’s remarks about his own difficulties went viral. Newsom said he was speaking to Black voters to show empathy and that he is not “better than” anyone and wanted to share his own struggles to connect with their experiences.Newsom is seen as a Democratic politician and potential contender for the 2028 presidential election by many on the progressive side.