The editor-in-chief of Scientific American has resigned after she sparked anger over a string of expletive-laden social media posts on Election Night in which she slammed people who were voting for Donald Trump.
Laura Helmuth took to Bluesky to announce her departure from the country’s preeminent popular science publication.
“I’ve decided to leave Scientific American after an exciting 4.5 years as editor in chief,” she wrote. “I’m going to take some time to think about what comes next (and go birdwatching).”
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The resignation comes after Helmuth made a number of controversial social media posts about Trump voters, which she later deleted.
“Solidarity to everybody whose meanest, dumbest, most bigoted high-school classmates are celebrating early results because f--- them to the moon and back,” she wrote in a Bluesky post on Nov. 5, as vote counts showed Trump leading Kamala Harris, based on screenshots of the posts.
“I apologize to younger voters that my Gen X is full of f---ing fascists,” she added later on election night.
And after that: “Every four years I remember why I left Indiana (where I grew up) and remember why I respect the people who stayed and are trying to make it less racist and sexist. The moral arc of the universe isn’t going to bend itself.”
Helmuth’s posts drew the ire of some social media users, who suggested it was inappropriate public commentary for the top editor of a science magazine.
Helmuth deleted the posts and published an apology on her Bluesky account.
“I made a series of offensive and inappropriate posts on my personal Bluesky account on election night, and I am sorry,” she wrote. “I respect and value people across the political spectrum. These posts, which I have deleted, do not reflect my beliefs; they were a mistaken expression of shock and confusion about the election results.”
“I am committed to civil communication and editorial objectivity,” she added.
In the run-up to the election, Scientific American announced its support for Harris, saying she was more willing to trust science than Trump. It was only the second presidential endorsement in the publication’s 179-year history.
The magazine’s president, Kimberly Lau, told The Washington Post that it was Helmuth’s decision to resign.
“We thank Laura for her four years leading Scientific American during which time the magazine won major science communications awards and saw the establishment of a reimagined digital newsroom,” she told The Post. “We wish her well for the future.”
