Gavin Newsom has lashed out at Sean Hannity for trying to drum up outrage over the California governor’s SAT remarks while ignoring actual racist controversies.
Speaking on MS Now’s The Briefing with Jen Psaki, Newsom singled out the Fox News host’s bad-faith complaints about the Democrat discussing his low SAT score in Atlanta due to his struggles with dyslexia, which MAGA figures melted down over while trying to suggest he was disparaging Black Americans in the audience.
“They didn’t say it when I talked to Charlie Kirk and said the exact same thing, or the dozens and dozens of other occasions where I said exactly the same thing,” Newsom said, referencing a March 2025 podcast interview he did with the slain Turning Point USA founder.
“It was a hell of a statement, particularly for people that have been countenancing racism in their party for decades,” he added.
“The same pundits—Sean Hannity, let’s call them out by name—didn’t say one word, still haven’t said a word, about the racist videos that were put out about Michelle Obama and Barack Obama. Nothing. Not one word of condemnation of the President of the United States who put out those racist videos, or ‘s–thole countries,’ or the birther issues. Not a word.”
Newsom, seen as an early frontrunner for the 2028 Democratic nomination, discussed his struggles with dyslexia while on a tour for his new memoir, Young Man in a Hurry.
Speaking onstage with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, who is Black, Newsom described how his struggles with reading have affected his entire life.
“I’m no better than you, I’m a 960 SAT guy,” Newsom said, drawing laughter from the crowd. “I’m not trying to offend anyone, trying to act all there if you got 940.”
Multiple Republican figures seized upon the remarks and tried to suggest Newsom was insulting the crowd in a city where nearly half the population is Black.
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the GOP’s only Black senator, told Newsom: “Black Americans aren’t your low bar.”
In a Monday X post, Hannity added: “Thinks a 960 SAT Makes Him ‘Like’ Black Americans. Let That Sink In.”
In an irate reply, Newsom attacked Hannity while bringing up racist controversies surrounding Donald Trump that the Fox News host has never bothered to condemn.
“You didn’t give a shit 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—ing outrage, Sean,” Newsom wrote.
The post Newsom Goes Personal on Hannity: ‘Call Them Out by Name’ appeared first on The Daily Beast.
