California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press secretary had a rather blunt response when a reporter asked for evidence of the governor’s childhood dyslexia diagnosis. Izzy Gurdon, Newsom’s communications director, responded with an expletive after Real Clear Politics reporter Susan Crabtree reached out for clarification regarding the governor’s medical background.
“Hi Susan, thank you for reaching out. With all due respect, stop now,” she said in an email. The correspondence was shared on a social media platform, highlighting the somewhat heated exchange.
Crabtree’s inquiry was prompted by skepticism from critics about Newsom’s previous statements regarding his dyslexia diagnosis, which he claims occurred when he was about five years old, back in 1972.
The topic resurfaced recently when Newsom mentioned his reading disability while promoting his new memoir at an event in Atlanta.
Shortly after that event, Newsom faced criticism for allegedly making racist remarks when discussing his SAT scores with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, who is Black. He remarked, “I’m not trying to impress you. I’m just trying to impress on you, ‘I’m like you. I’m not better than you.’ I’m a 960 SAT guy.”
As he continued, he noted, “Even if I got a 940, I’m not going to perform everything there… I can’t read speeches, so you’ve never seen me read them.”
With backlash growing around his comments, Newsom responded to his critics in an explosive manner. He questioned the outrage, saying, “You didn’t respond about the president of the United States posting a video of a presidential monkey. You call President Obama and African countries bastards, but then you call me a racist for talking about my lifelong struggle with dyslexia?”
Newsom’s anger was palpable, as he urged critics to “ignore your fake motherfucker anger.”
