Democrats and the Left exploded again at President Donald Trump following remarks he made to reporters in the Oval Office about California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday. Trump, referencing Newsom’s self-described dyslexia, said such a learning disorder should disqualify him from becoming president.
“Gavin ‘Newscum’ has admitted that he is a — that he has learning disabilities,” Trump said. “Honestly, I’m all for people with learning disabilities, but not for my president. I don’t want — I think a president should not have learning disabilities, OK?”
“And I know it’s highly controversial to say such a horrible thing. The president of the United States — Gavin Newscum admitted that he has learning disabilities, dyslexia,” Trump continued. “Everything about him is dumb.”
Newsom took to Twitter to fire back at the president: “To every kid with a learning disability: don’t let anyone — not even the President of the United States — bully you. Dyslexia isn’t a weakness. It’s your strength.”
Newsom drew the ire of those on the left and right for the way he framed his disorder during a book tour stop last month. Speaking to a group of black Americans, he said, “I’m a 960 SAT guy,” that he “couldn’t read,” and added, “I’m just like you.”
Many critics took those remarks as Newsom racially insulting black Americans and talking down to them while simultaneously trying to patronize them in order to win their support.
Jennifer Siebel Newsom, his wife, made headlines last month when she criticized reporters at her husband’s Planned Parenthood press conference, claiming they weren’t asking enough questions about what she termed a “war on women.” Now, the California “first partner” is facing some uncomfortable scrutiny herself.
IRS filings reviewed by the Daily Mail reveal that Siebel Newsom has paid herself and her company, Girls Club LLC, a significant portion of the annual revenue from her nonprofit, The Representation Project. In some years, these payments amounted to nearly one-third of the charity’s total income, adding up to more than $3.7 million over the past decade, the Daily Mail reported.
Siebel Newsom, 51, oversees The Representation Project, a nonprofit organization that claims to combat “intersectional gender stereotypes” and “harmful gender norms.”
Financial records indicate that the charity generally receives between $1 million and $1.7 million annually in grants and donations, with roughly $300,000 in recent years directed toward Siebel Newsom and her company.
The latest filings, covering up to March 2024, show a salary of $150,000 for Siebel Newsom and an additional $150,000 paid to Girls Club LLC.
These filings categorize the payments to the LLC as a “writer/director/producer fee.”
They also note that the company owns the copyright to Siebel Newsom’s documentary, Miss Representation, and has licensed the film to the nonprofit for at least seven years, covering distribution and public performance rights.
Charity watchdogs criticized the compensation as unusually high for an organization of its size. A conservative transparency group cautioned that it could raise eyebrows as Gavin Newsom continues to build his national profile.
“As Governor Newsom continues his national rebrand tour, the fact that he and his wife put one third of their ‘charity’ revenues into their own pockets will undoubtedly raise red flags in the eyes of middle-class Americans,” Caitlin Sutherland, executive director of Americans for Public Trust, told the Daily Mail.
The Daily Mail’s report also revealed that there are approximately 23,000 nonprofits in the IRS database with revenues between $1 million and $2 million, and fewer than 5% of them pay their executives more than The Representation Project, particularly when including Siebel Newsom’s salary and the LLC payments.
The report also highlighted additional salaries listed in the nonprofit’s filings, including $150,000 for Executive Director Caroline Heldman and $131,942 for CFO Debra Garber. The charity’s total compensation costs for the year ending in March 2024 were just under $1 million, with $153,691 allocated to fundraising.