Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said on Sunday he’s not sweating the racist attacks conservatives have hurled at him since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed last week.
“I have no time for foolishness,” he told CNN’s Dana Bash on State of the Union.
Moore said he’s focused instead on the families and authorities affected by the tragedy and reopening the water channel in Baltimore for shipments. The bridge collapsed on Tuesday after a cargo ship slammed into one of its pillars, presumably killing six construction workers who fell into the Patapsco River.
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“I’m making sure that we’re taking care of our people to include our first responders and families and small businesses who’ve been impacted by this,” Moore said. “I’m making sure that we are going to get the Key Bridge rebuilt. I have no time for foolishness, and so I’m not going to delve into it.”
Moore’s comments come as some right-wing critics have resorted to racism in their blame for the bridge collapse, referring to both Moore and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott as “DEI” officials. Utah State Rep. Phil Lyman, a Republican running for governor, noted in an X response on a post about a Baltimore official that “this is what happens when you have Governors who prioritize diversity over the wellbeing and security of citizens,” though he later tried to walk back those comments on Tuesday. A Florida House Republican went a step further, simply posting “DEI did this” over a video of the bridge collapse.
Scott brushed off the GOP attacks in multiple interviews, acknowledging on Sunday’s Face the Nation that racist remarks over his identity as a young Black man leading the city wouldn’t deter him from his response to the collapse.
“I didn't want to be out there that night asking- answering questions about DEI. I'm worried about the loss of life,” Scott said. “We know how ridiculous that is. Those folks are afraid as I said this week, to use the N-word. This should not be even in conversation. We have to remain focused on the mission at hand and continue from my vantage point to prove those people wrong about people that look like me by doing my job in the best way that I can.”
