'Wait til he meets Trump Sr.' Twitter blasts Tuberville for blatant racism against 'inner-city' teachers

26 May 2023

United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama), spewed racist comments Thursday during an appearance on Donald Trump Jr.'s podcast, Triggered.

Earlier this month, the GOP leader declared white nationalists are simply "Americans," and later referred to them as "Trump Republicans."

Former GOP prosecutor Ron Filipkowski shared a clip of the pair's conversation via Twitter, writing, Tommy Tuberville: "How bad our teachers are in the inner city. I don't know how they got degrees. I don't know whether they can read and write. They want a raise and less time to work, less time in school. We ruined work ethic in this country."

"The COVID really brought it out about how bad our schools are," Tuberville insisted.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Brookings Institution reports:

Teachers had to adapt to unexpected conditions, teaching in unprecedented ways, using synchronous and asynchronous instruction, while also being challenged to establish connections with students, families, and colleagues. Health concerns added to the mix as some teachers went back to in-person education during the height of the pandemic. As a result, teachers' levels of stress and burnout have been high throughout these unusual pandemic times, raising concerns about a potential increase in teacher turnover and future teacher shortages.

Trump Jr. replied to the senator's comments, saying, "But they're the experts that want to make sure that parents have no say. 'How dare you decide what to do with your children?'"

Annika Dukes, a middle school teacher in Vancouver, Washington, told The Washington Post last year, "We love your kids. We love our jobs (even though we're exhausted). And the only things we are activists about is your child’s academic and emotional growth. The constant anger and vitriol we see about book bans, and [critical race theory] are seriously taking a toll on us. We're not indoctrinating anyone. We're just trying to teach your kids."

Furthermore, regarding Tuberville's comments about the educational backgrounds of "inner-city" educators, In 2020, the senator, according to USA Today, "misidentified the three branches of government," saying, "Our government wasn't set up for one group to have all three branches of government — wasn't set up that way. You know, the House, the Senate, and the executive."

The three branches of U.S. government are actually the legislative, the executive and the judicial.

The Center for American Progress reports, "According to the Economic Policy Institute, public school teachers are paid less than other comparable workers in every state, and they earn 11 percent less on average, when accounting for nonwage benefits," adding, "As of the 2015-16 school year, 18 percent of U.S. teachers worked second jobs outside the school system," and "Teachers are about 30 percent more likely than nonteachers to work a second job."

Additionally, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, "The percentage of public school teachers who held a postbaccalaureate degree (i.e., a master's, education specialist, or doctor's degree)" increased by nearly 20 percent from 1999-2000 to the 2017-2018 school year.

In 2017, The Atlantic reported:

Research suggests that the number of truly bad schools is much smaller than imagined. Even much-lambasted city schools are nurturing engaged thinkers who value learning. Many are expanding the way young people see the world. Many are cultivating engaged citizens and fostering creativity.

Additionally, The Atlantic noted:

Believing that they are fleeing bad schools, or securing spots in good ones, middle-class parents have inadvertently exacerbated segregation. And that has had a very real impact on urban schools. Demographically integrated schools have been shown to foster a culture of success that can change a child’s sense of academic self-efficacy and plans for the future.

Twitter users slammed the senator for his racist remarks.

@JMahoffer: "Wait til he meets Trump, Sr."

SnarkTank: "So does Don Jr. basically just do infomercials for racism now?"

Dave #VoteBlue: "Not the Inner City: Texas high school delays its graduation, after only a handful met diploma requirements"

Mark Jacob: "When white supremacist Tommy Tuberville talks about the 'inner city,' he means people of color. And he doesn't know shit about whether the teachers there are bad or good. It’s pure dog whistle."

@TrumpsTaxes: "Tommy Tuberville - who once identified the three branches of government as 'the House, the Senate and the executive' - thinks teachers are stupid."

Al Cappuccino: "These two geniuses."

She Bearpaws: "Hypocrisy."

@RonaldTooTall: "Teachers aren't slaves. 'Inner City' is code meaning black or minority. Teachers often work multiple gigs to make enough money to survive, and sometimes to help their students who need help."

@AlabamaScribe56: 'Wait, this clown couldn't name the three branches of government and he is questioning the intelligence of others?"

Watch the video below or at this link.

Brookings full report is available at this link. The Washington Post's report is here. USA Today's report is here. The National Center for Education Statistics is here. The Center for American Progress's report is here. The Atlantic's report is here.

From Your Site Articles