Gavin Newsom hit with humiliating New York Times ‘bestseller’ asterisk

Nypost · Apr 21, 2026 · 512 words · By Annie Gaus

Political fundraising transparency Media credibility and best-seller lists

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/04/21/us-news/gavin-newsom-hit-with-asterisk-on-new-york…

psychologyDetected Techniques

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

warning

Repetition 60% confidence

Repeating a message until it is accepted as truth.

warning

Cherry Picking 70% confidence

Selectively presenting evidence that supports one side while ignoring contrary evidence.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

10 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

info Single Source 6

check_circle Corroborated 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

info

“Revelations his PAC, Campaign for Democracy, spent $1.6 million buying up copies of his book, has led to the New York Times slapping an asterisk on the ranking of his memoir, noting bulk purchases.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided for this claim is entirely composed of unrelated web search results (JavaScript, Git, Unity) and Wikipedia entries about unrelated people (Gavin Creel, Gavin Newsom, WPI). None of the evidence corroborates the specific claim that the New York Times marked Newsom's memoir ranking due to his PAC spending $1.6 million. The claim appears to be based on information not present in the gathered evidence.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gavin James Creel (April 18, 1976 – September 30, 2024) was an American actor, singer, and songwriter best known for his work in musical theater. Over his career he received a Grammy Award, a Tony Awa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavin_Creel

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gavin Christopher Newsom (born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman serving since 2019 as the 40th governor of California. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavin_Newsom

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is a private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1865, WPI was one of the United States' first engineering and technolo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worcester_Polytechnic_Institut…

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

“Newsom’s listing “Young Man in a Hurry” on the New York Times bestseller list includes a “dagger” symbol, which is meant to indicate that sales were inflated by institutional buys, instead of through word-of-mouth and rave reviews.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results state that the dagger symbol on the NYT Bestseller List indicates bulk purchases, which can artificially inflate rankings. This aligns with the claim that it warns readers about inflated sales.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York Times (NYT) is a newspaper based in Manhattan, New York City. The New York Times covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces and reviews. One of the l…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. The New York Times Book Review has published the list weekly since October 12, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_Best_Seller…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York Times Games (NYT Games) is a collection of casual print and online games published by The New York Times, an American newspaper. Originating with the newspaper's crossword puzzle in 1942,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_Games

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

“The California governor, who boasted of selling 100,000 copies of the memoir, has bought around two-thirds of those copies through his PAC as part of a push for donations.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided for this claim consists only of general web search results about Facebook login and Wikipedia entries about elections/people, none of which mention Newsom claiming 100,000 sales or purchasing two-thirds of them through his PAC. The claim cannot be verified or corroborated with the evidence provided.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2022 California gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of California, with the statewide top-two primary election taking place on June 7, 2022. Incumbent Democr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_California_gubernatorial_…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 California gubernatorial election will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of California, with the statewide nonpartisan top-two primary election scheduled for June 2, 2026. In…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_California_gubernatorial_…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kimberly Guilfoyle ( GHIL-foyl; born March 9, 1969) is an American diplomat, media personality, and former prosecutor who has served as the United States ambassador to Greece since 2025. She served as…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimberly_Guilfoyle

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

““When The Times has reason to believe that sales of a book include a mix of organic and bulk sales, the book’s best-seller ranking is accompanied by a dagger. That’s what we did with the Newsom book,” a New York Times spokesperson explained.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results cite a New York Times spokesperson explaining that the dagger symbol is used when a book's ranking is influenced by bulk purchases or a mix of organic and bulk sales, directly supporting the claim.

menu_book

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

“It’s unclear when the dagger symbol was added, though archived versions of the New York Times’ site show it displayed underneath the book description in early March, when it was ranked #15.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided for this claim consists of general web search results about NYT archives and Wikipedia entries, but none of the results confirm the specific detail that archived versions show the dagger symbol appearing in early March when the book was ranked #15. This detail is not independently verifiable from the evidence provided.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York Times Company is an American mass media corporation that publishes The New York Times and its associated publications such as The New York Times International Edition and other media prop…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_Company

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

“Filings from Newsom’s PAC, Campaign for Democracy, show two payments in January totaling $1.6 million to Porchlight Book Company, marked “books at cost.””

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided for this claim consists of web search results related to unrelated topics (Japanese universities, Facebook login). None of the evidence corroborates the specific claim regarding Campaign for Democracy making two payments totaling $1.6 million to Porchlight Book Company in January. The claim cannot be verified or corroborated with the evidence provided.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — ボランティアセンターは、『言葉は世界をつなぐ平和の礎』という神田外語大学の理念のもと、学生と社会がつながる様々なボランティアの機会を提供し、社会に貢献できる人材の育成を行うことを目的として2013年（平成25年）に設立された。
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/神田外語大学

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Dec 17, 2025 · 検索は「KUIS総合資料検索」へお知らせ / Information 図書館システム切替のお知らせ新図書館システムになりました。今後は新しいOPACにて情報更新いたしますので、以下をご覧ください。
https://kuis.libguides.com/home

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Contact Us 神田外語大学学生支援部 / KUIS Student Services Division [gakuseika@kanda.kuis.ac.jp ] [TEL: 043-273-2948 ] 261-0014 千葉県千葉市美浜区若葉1-4-1 "Icon made by Freepik, Pixel perfect, Flat Icons,...
https://sites.google.com/kanda.kuis.ac.jp/portalsite/home

info

“Campaign records show an additional $58,000 in merchandise and shipping costs to 18 bookstores nationwide for the promotional blitz for his book, when Newsom hawked the book at rented venues in Atlanta, New York City, and Boston and other cities.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided for this claim consists of web search results related to unrelated topics (JavaScript, Git, Shipping Costs). While one search result mentions the $58,000 figure, it is not corroborated by other independent sources in the evidence set, making it a single-source report within the provided context.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Campaign records show an additional $58,000 in merchandise and shipping costs to 18 bookstores nationwide for the promotional blitz for his book, when Newsom hawked the book at rented venues in ...
https://nypost.com/2026/04/21/us-news/gavin-newsom-hit-with-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — School records to be transferred should include grade transcripts, state birth certificate, certificate of immunization, social security card, attendance records, discipline records, IEP's, psychologi…
https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/appropriation…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — WARNING: Inland shipping fees are determined by the seller and can often cost more than the original item price, so please make sure to read the description before buying.Various examples of predicted…
https://sendico.com/calculator

info

“The New York Times explains on its website that daggers indicate “institutional, special interest, group of bulk purchases” based on “standards for inclusion that encompass proprietary vetting and audit protocols, corroborative reporting and other statistical determinations.””

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided for this claim consists of general web search results (JavaScript, Git, Unity) and Wikipedia entries, none of which contain the specific explanation from the New York Times website regarding 'institutional, special interest, group of bulk purchases' based on proprietary vetting and audit protocols. The claim cannot be verified or corroborated with the evidence provided.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The new keyword in JavaScript can be quite confusing when it is first encountered, as people tend to think that JavaScript is not an object-oriented programming language. What is it? What problems ...
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1646698/what-is-the-new-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 4, 2010 · How do I: Create a local branch from another branch (via git branch or git checkout -b). Push the local branch to the remote repository (i.e. publish), but make it trackable so that git …
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2765421/how-do-i-push-a-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Nov 26, 2020 · You probably tried to import a new input system package for multiple input devices compatibility. These type of errors are due to conflict between old and new input system packages and …
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/65027247/unity-conflict-…

help

“Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was criticized for using $122,000 in campaign funds to bulk-order copies of his book, “A Time for Truth,” in 2015 — leading the New York Times to temporarily strike the tome from its bestseller list.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results or Wikipedia entries to support or contradict this claim.

help

“Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ memoir, “The Courage to Be Free” was also slapped with an asterisk after the New York Times found that bulk buys contributed to its popularity.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results or Wikipedia entries to support or contradict this claim.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.

eFinder

eFinder

Gavin Newsom hit with humiliating New York Times ‘bestseller’ asterisk

psychologyDetected Techniques

fact_checkFact-Check Results