Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington, D.C., is getting roasted for her initial response to the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key bridge after being hit by a cargo ship early Tuesday morning.
The ship, which lost power before crashing into a support column, sent at least eight people from a construction crew into the water. Two have been rescued.
According to a statement from the ship’s owners, all 22 of its crew members and two pilots who were on board have been accounted for and are uninjured.
The tragic incident has prompted politicians to offer support, with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) telling Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) that Virginia is “ready to assist and support our neighbor Maryland.”
Similarly, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said she had reached out to Moore to “let him know that New York is prepared to offer any assistance necessary,” and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg offered support and resources as well.
But Washington D.C.’s mayor had a somewhat different, initial response.
“Oh no,” Bowser wrote in a post responding to a video of the collapse.
Although Bowser’s 5 a.m. post has since been deleted, social media was quick to make the remark go viral.
“largest bridge in the baltimore metro area is gone, over 30 people still missing, and this lady acts like she just stubbed her toe,” one person wrote.
“Willy Wonka when kids disappear in his factory,” wrote another.
“This is how I react when I forget something important,” posted someone else. “I guess this is also how the mayor of D.C. reacts to the news of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsing.”
“thought this was a parody account but,” someone else wrote.
“I genuinely believe Mayor Muriel Bowser is one of the most incompetent major elected officials in US politics,” posted someone else, adding that the account she had replied to is “a noted Twitter misinformation account.”
Others reacted to Boswer’s post with memes and GIFs.
Bowser has since put out a more official response on her non-personal X account.
“Our prayers are with our neighbors in Baltimore and all those impacted by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” Bowser said. “This morning, I reached out to Mayor Scott, and we stand ready to support Baltimore in these difficult days ahead.”
But what are most of the replies to that official statement?
“Oh no.”
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