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.”

Read more at The Daily Beast.