So Sorry, Gavin: I Don’t Want A Low-Score Racist Who “Can’t Read” In The White House

When Self-Deprecation Turns Into Something Else.

It’s awkward. There’s cringe. And then there’s whatever that was.

Standing before a largely Black audience alongside Atlanta Mayor Andrew Dickens, Gavin Newsom decided the best way to connect was to say, essentially: I’m like you. I’m not better than you. I got a 960 on my SAT. I can’t read a speech.

Read that again.

“I am like you… I am a 960 SAT guy… You have never seen me read a speech, because I cannot read a speech.”

That wasn’t satire. That wasn’t parody. That was a governor of the largest state in the nation attempting to relatability by equating Black Americans with low test scores and illiteracy.

And we’re supposed to clap?

The Dangerous Game Of “I’m Just Like You”

Let’s be clear: There is nothing wrong with not being a perfect test-taker. The SAT doesn’t measure character, integrity, or leadership. Plenty of brilliant, capable people never aced a standardized test.

But when a white governor stands before a Black audience and says he’s “like” them because he scored low and “can’t read,” that isn’t humility. That’s a stereotype wrapped in a smile.

It reduces millions of Americans to a caricature. It implies shared identity through academic underperformance. It suggests that the common denominator is deficiency.

That’s not outreach. That’s offensive.

If this is what passes for political empathy in 2026, we’re in trouble.

Failing Upward Is Not A Qualification

This episode would be bad enough on its own. But it lands in the middle of a governorship already defined by what critics have called a remarkable ability to “fail upward.”

California’s $111 billion high-speed rail project — once promised as a sleek connection between San Francisco and Los Angeles — has become a symbol of ballooning costs and vanishing timelines. We’re told it’s “back on track,” even as taxpayers squint at empty facilities and shifting completion dates drifting into the late 2030s.

Then there’s the unemployment insurance disaster during COVID, where between $20 billion and $32 billion reportedly evaporated into fraud. That’s not a rounding error. That’s a crater.

Add Medi-Cal overpayments, suspected relief fraud, and budget gimmicks that have drawn national scrutiny, and a pattern emerges: Massive spending. Massive spin. Minimal accountability.

And now, layered on top, tone-deaf racial rhetoric masquerading as self-awareness.

“I Can’t Read A Speech” — And That’s Supposed To Inspire Confidence?

Let’s pause on the reading comment.

“You have never seen me read a speech, because I cannot read a speech.”

Is this meant to reassure voters? Is the pitch for higher office going to be: Sure, the state bled billions, but hey — I’m relatable and can’t read a teleprompter?

Leadership is not about perfection. But it is about competence. It is about judgment. It is about knowing when a joke crosses a line — and when a line should never have been approached in the first place.

When someone aspires to the White House, the bar is higher. Or at least it should be.

The presidency is not an open-mic night.

Identity Politics Meets Intellectual Insult

The irony is staggering. In an era when politicians constantly warn against coded language and implicit bias, here we have a governor openly tying Black identity to low academic performance — even if cloaked in self-deprecation.

Intent doesn’t erase impact.

You cannot preach equity while trafficking in stereotypes. You cannot champion inclusion while implying that underachievement is a shared racial trait.

If a conservative politician had made the same comment, the outrage would be deafening. Editorial boards would combust. Cable panels would run for days.

Consistency demands that we call it out regardless of party.

The White House Is Not A Rebranding Exercise

California voters may tolerate endless spin, ever-shifting timelines, and glossy rebranding campaigns. But the White House is not another PR project. It’s not a place to test-drive slogans.

• It requires seriousness.
• It requires accountability.
• And it absolutely requires respect for the people you claim to represent.

Self-deprecating humor can humanize a leader. But when it slides into racial insinuation, it reveals something deeper — either a stunning lack of awareness or a calculated gamble that the audience won’t notice.

Many did.

Bottom Line

Americans deserve leaders who uplift without insulting, who connect without stereotyping, and who demonstrate competence without hiding behind gimmicks.

A low SAT score is not disqualifying. Struggling with public speaking is not disqualifying. But equating Black Americans with academic failure while presiding over repeated governance failures?

That’s disqualifying in spirit.

Sorry, Gavin. The country doesn’t need a punchline in the Oval Office.

We are so screwed.

— Steve