Baltimore Mayor Turns the Tables on Racist Bridge Collapse Conspiracy Theorists

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D) responded to some of the bizarre criticisms coming from conservatives following the cargo ship-induced collapse of the city’s Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday morning by saying the term DEI—when applied derogatorily to him—means “duly elected incumbent.”

On MSNBC’s The Reid Out, host Joy Reid prefaced her interview with Scott, who is Black, by calling attention to a tweet describing Scott as “Baltimore’s DEI mayor.” That post, which references the acronym that stands for diversity, equity and inclusion, has generated more than 25 million views, along with a clarifying community note on X.

“I cannot believe I have to say this,” Reid began. “Brandon Scott was elected with 70 percent of the vote in 2020 in a city that is 61 percent Black. So by right-wing logic, a ‘diversity hire’ would have been a white man.”

Reid then asked Scott if he wanted to address the “tomfoolery” of those attacking him “for having the nerve to be Black and also a mayor.” He obliged.

“I know, and we all know, and you know very well that Black men and young Black men in particular have been the bogeyman for those who are racist and think that only straight, wealthy white men should have a say in anything,” Scott said. “We’ve been the bogeyman for them since the first day they brought us to this country. And what they mean by DEI, in my opinion, is Duly Elected Incumbent.”

Right-Wing Media Blames Bridge Collapse on ‘Open Border’ and COVID Lockdowns

Scott easily won Baltimore’s mayoral race four years ago, with the next closest candidate, an independent, acquiring just 20 percent of the vote. In the Democratic primary earlier that year, Scott had edged out the city’s scandal-plagued former mayor, Sheila Dixon. Scott is running for re-election in November, while Dixon is again mounting a bid.

Scott added that for his critics, ‘DEI’ is a euphemism.

“We know what they want to say, but they don’t have the courage to say the n-word,” he told Reid.

“And the fact that I don’t believe in their untruthful and wrong ideology, and I am very proud of my heritage and who I am and where I come from, scares them,” he added. “Because me being at my position means that their way of thinking, their way of life—being comfortable… while everyone else suffers—is going to be at risk, and they should be afraid because that’s my purpose in life.”

While some conservatives are complaining about DEI and how “anti-white business practices” may have caused the accident, others—like Fox Business Network host and MAGA supporter Maria Bartiromo—have actually tried to inexplicably link the deadly bridge collapse to things as varied as “the wide-open border” and COVID lockdowns.

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