Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is taking fire after a CNN reporter asked him about the Biden plan to confront the “racism” in U.S. streets and infrastructure, according to the tweets of prominent conservatives.
“During the White House press briefing, Buttigieg was taking questions about the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which passed through Congress last week,” reported Fox News.
That was when one of CNN’s allegedly unbiased reporters, April Ryan, popped a question that implied America’s roads are racist, asking Buttigieg about the Biden administration’s plans to ‘deconstruct the racism’ that’s built into America’s infrastructure.
“I’m still surprised,” Buttigieg said, “that had some people were surprised when I pointed to the fact that if a highway was built for the purpose of dividing a white and a black neighborhood or if an underpass was constructed such that a bus carrying mostly black and Puerto Rican kids to a beach … was designed too low for it to pass by, that that obviously reflects racism that went into those design choices.”
Conservatives ridiculed the remarks on Twitter with criticism, saying there are more appropriate issues that deserve attention.
“Nothing in this country works,” tweeted JD Vance. “It takes years to repair a bridge that was built in far less time. Every big city has skyrocketing murder rates. China is about to take over the world even as we name Navy ships after pedophiles. And our reporters ask about the racism of our roads?”
“The roads are racist. We must get rid of roads,” joked Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX).
One commenter tied Buttigieg’s remarks to Vice President Kamala Harris’ recent question about “tree equity,” asked when she was talking to NASA.
“Our roads are racist, trees are racist, WTF isn’t racist anymore in the woke liberal utopian world?” said Max Andrews. “These two fools, @AprilDRyan & @PeteButtigieg appear to be having a serious conversation about racism built in to roads? Wokeness gone wild.”
All roads lead back to racism
— makenli (@makenlireace) November 5, 2021
This idiots is talking about racism in roads while all those ships are sitting in the pacific off the coast of California https://t.co/U0uCjcHHZB
— paul yacovetta (@bigYac31) November 9, 2021
Yes in Biden’s admin everything is racist-even roads & bridges. Can anyone address the real problems facing everyday Americans, like inflation at the gas pump/heating oil/groceries-or are they simply going to chant the “racist” mantra?#LetsGoBrandon https://t.co/A8zuQWbace
— Johnny V (@jvman588) November 9, 2021
For those familiar with Mayor Pete’s reign in South Bend, it’s absolutely delicious that the King of Potholes who fired the City’s first black police chief is discussing the deconstruction of roads….along with racism….https://t.co/sf8naHLWxu
— Margot Cleveland (@ProfMJCleveland) November 8, 2021
Exit question: is it still ok to say that roads are blacktopped?