Nick Shirley’s sharp comment about Gavin Newsom

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s initiative to teach financial literacy to teens has ignited much more than just discussions in the classroom. On Saturday, social media personality Nick Shirley took a sharp jab at the proposal.

Newsom unveiled his plan online, stating that independent personal finance courses will be available in California high schools starting with the 2027-28 academic year. Graduates from the Class of 2031 will be expected to complete this requirement.

“Every Californian should graduate high school with the tools to manage their money, avoid debt, and build wealth,” the governor stated.

However, Shirley’s brief yet pointed response caught many off guard. It was as if the conversation hit a sudden, unexpected pause.

“@CAgovernor @JenSiebelNewsom Will you and the rest of your staff get this too?” he tweeted, directly questioning the sincerity of Newsom’s new personal finance curriculum designed for high school students.

The proposed coursework is set to include topics such as budgeting, lending, investing, and career planning.

In conjunction with this new curriculum, Newsom also plans to enhance opportunities for wealth creation among women and address longstanding disparities in access to capital.

Shirley’s skepticism didn’t stop there. He is a social media influencer known for revealing instances of fraud in daycare and hospice settings, and he sees this as a chance to highlight potential inconsistencies in leadership.

Critics quickly jumped on his question, suggesting that there might be a gap between what is taught and what is practiced. They pondered: Would Newsom and his staff actually participate in this course?

Shirley and Newsom have recently been engaged in a back-and-forth on social media, partly stemming from Shirley’s investigations in California.

This dynamic has positioned Newsom, one of the state’s most prominent and divisive figures, at the center of a debate that reaches well beyond just curriculum choices.