Senator Tim Scott sharply rebuked California Governor Gavin Newsom after a clip of Newsom’s remarks in Atlanta circulated widely, saying Black Americans “aren’t your low bar” and urging him to stop using his academic struggles as a way to “patronize communities.” Scott’s comments came in direct response to a video of Newsom telling an Atlanta audience that he was “like you” because he scored a 960 on the SAT and has difficulty reading, remarks that critics have seized on as tone‑deaf and potentially offensive.
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. Its ridiculous! https://t.co/fQYIOfeA1T
— Tim Scott (@votetimscott) February 23, 2026
Scott, a Republican senator from South Carolina and the first African American from that state to serve in the Senate since Reconstruction, pushed back saying – “Black Americans aren’t your low bar” and highlighted the achievements of Black communities in building empires, creating movements, and outworking others, adding that framing one’s academic record as a way to relate to communities is “ridiculous.”
The controversy centers on Newsom’s remarks during a stop on his national book tour in Atlanta, where he was promoting his memoir Young Man in a Hurry and discussing his lifelong struggles with dyslexia. In the now‑viral clip, Newsom told the audience he was “no better than you” and cited his 960 SAT score, saying he “cannot read a speech,” an apparent reference to how dyslexia affects his public speaking.
Scott’s response underscored his longstanding focus on issues of economic opportunity, education reform and community empowerment, themes he has emphasized throughout his career. As an influential Republican figure on matters of race and policing, Scott has frequently advocated for policies aimed at strengthening communities and reducing disparities, and his response framed Newsom’s remarks as beneath the dignity of those efforts.
The exchange also highlights broader debates within American politics about how public figures discuss race, education and relatability. While Newsom’s supporters argue that his comments were intended to humanize his own challenges and connect with audiences beyond California, critics including Scott saw them as inadvertently patronizing. Amid a charged political atmosphere, the interaction has drawn attention from national media and political commentators, illustrating the sensitivity of messaging around race and achievement in contemporary discourse.
