Rep. Wesley Hunt Fires Back at Democrat Newsom’s Racist Comments

Texas Republican cites his family’s academic achievements in sharp rebuke of California governor’s remarks to Atlanta audience

WASHINGTON — Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX) delivered a blistering response this week to California Gov. Gavin Newsom after the governor told an Atlanta audience he was “like” them because he scored a 960 on his SAT and struggles to read — remarks that critics have called racially condescending.

In a widely shared post on X, Hunt — a West Point graduate and one of the most prominent Black Republicans in Congress — rejected Newsom’s attempt at relatability in deeply personal terms.

“Gavin Newsom stood in front of a room full of Black voters and tried to say, ‘I’m like you… I had a 960 SAT,'” Hunt wrote. “No, Gavin. You’re not like me. I studied my butt off to get where I am.”

The controversy erupted Sunday when a clip from Newsom’s Atlanta book tour stop — promoting his memoir Young Man in a Hurry — went viral on social media, racking up tens of millions of views. In the clip, Newsom told Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens that he wasn’t trying to impress the audience, but rather to show common ground.

“I’m like you. I’m no better than you. I’m a 960 SAT guy,” Newsom said. “You’ve never seen me read a speech because I cannot read a speech.”

Newsom, who has spoken publicly about his lifelong struggle with dyslexia, has shared similar anecdotes in other settings, including in a 2025 podcast interview with conservative media figure Charlie Kirk. His spokesperson dismissed the backlash as “fake MAGA-manufactured outrage,” noting the governor has told this story to audiences of all backgrounds.

Dickens, who was interviewing Newsom during the event, also defended the exchange. “Take it from someone who was actually in the chair asking the questions: context matters more than a headline,” the Atlanta mayor wrote on social media. “That wasn’t an attack on anyone. It was a moment of vulnerability about his own journey.”

Hunt, however, framed the governor’s comments as part of a broader pattern of Democratic condescension toward Black Americans. In his post, the congressman pointed to his own family’s record of academic achievement as a direct counter to what he described as the implication that Black Americans should identify with low test scores and illiteracy.

Hunt noted that he earned three master’s degrees in four years from Cornell University, his brother graduated from Harvard Business School, and his sister earned a master’s in Applied Mathematics and taught at West Point while Hunt and his brother served as cadets at the academy.

“And yes, we were Black the entire time we were doing it,” Hunt wrote.

He described growing up in a household where a sign read “Jesus + Education = Success” and credited his parents’ emphasis on education for his family’s trajectory.

“Under no circumstances are you going to belittle us by implying that all Black people have a 960 SAT and can barely read,” Hunt wrote. “That’s not empathy. That’s insult disguised as relatability.”

A Broader Indictment

Hunt extended his criticism beyond Newsom, citing what he characterized as a recurring pattern among Democratic leaders. He referenced Hillary Clinton’s widely mocked claim of carrying hot sauce in her purse during a 2016 radio interview, President Biden’s 2020 remark that voters who were undecided between him and Donald Trump “ain’t Black,” and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s 2022 comment suggesting Black children in the Bronx did not know what a computer was.

“When you suggest I ‘can’t read’ or reduce us to a test score, what you’re really saying is that you think we’re all the same. That we’re a monolith,” Hunt wrote. “That is how the Democrat party sees us.”

The congressman framed his response as both a personal defense and a political mission. “We have an opportunity as a party, and as a country, to elevate voices that the Democrat party pretends doesn’t exist — utterly destroying the race narratives they use as political strategy,” he wrote. “It’s why I’m here.”

Hunt was far from alone in his criticism. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), the Senate’s only Black Republican, wrote on X that Black Americans “aren’t your low bar” and accused Newsom of using “mediocre academics as a way to patronize communities.” Corrin Rankin, the first Black chair of the California Republican Party, told Fox News Digital that Newsom’s comments would “haunt him for the rest of his career.”

Rapper Nicki Minaj also weighed in, criticizing both the substance of Newsom’s remarks and his delivery, accusing him of slowing down his speech as if addressing children.

The controversy comes at a sensitive time for Newsom, who is widely regarded as a leading contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination. His book tour includes stops in several early primary and swing states — a schedule that has only fueled speculation about his national ambitions.

Still, the episode has crystallized a debate about how politicians attempt to relate across racial lines — and the risks of conflating personal vulnerability with racial stereotypes. For Hunt, the answer is clear.

“We do exist,” he wrote, “and we reject the bigotry of the Left.”

Rep. Wesley Hunt represents Texas’s 38th Congressional District. Gov. Newsom’s book tour continues through several additional states this week.

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Wayne Creed

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