Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) said it “sucked” to have one of his Black colleagues dismiss his nomination for House speaker.
Donalds, who was nominated as a candidate for House speaker on Wednesday, was labeled a “prop” by one of his colleagues.
Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), a member of the so-called “Squad,” tweeted, “[For what it’s worth], [Donalds] is not a historic candidate for Speaker. He is a prop. Despite being Black, he supports a policy agenda intent on upholding and perpetuating white supremacy.”
“His name being in the mix is not progress—it’s pathetic,” she added.
FWIW, @ByronDonalds is not a historic candidate for Speaker. He is a prop. Despite being Black, he supports a policy agenda intent on upholding and perpetuating white supremacy.
— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) January 4, 2023
His name being in the mix is not progress—it’s pathetic.
During an appearance on Fox News Thursday morning, Donalds addressed Bush’s tweet as he said, “First of all, I thought it was just blatantly outrageous. First … man, that sucked, man, to be honest with you.”
“I feel, you know, bad that she really put that out there. Because, you know, if you see a Black man rising, I mean, let the man rise, even if you don’t agree with him,” he continued.
The Florida congressman also argued Bush should debate him over their policy differences.
However, he added, “To throw a statement out there, I thought was just the complete [sic] wrong thing to do. You know, as a Black man to a Black woman, I would have never done that to her. It’s a shame that she did it to me.”
Watch the video below:
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) responds to Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) calling him a “prop” and supportive of policies that “uphold white supremacy”:
— The Recount (@therecount) January 5, 2023
“Man, that sucked, man, to be honest with you, man … If you see a Black man rising, let the man rise, even if you don’t agree with him.” pic.twitter.com/z4e3xVrDOP
Bush told HuffPo about her comment, saying, “My issue is not with Byron Donalds himself. My issue is not with him being Black. My issue is not with him being Republican.”
“My issue is because he was not someone that they have been promoting for the last two years,” she added.
She went on:
“It seems as if they’re using him as a prop, as a tool, not because they think that he’s great, that he’s done all of these things to lead them. I don’t like that they’re using him that way. I don’t want them to use him that way. And I want him to understand: They’re only using you … don’t let them do that to you. Make them treat you with dignity and respect.”
Donalds also reacted to her comments as he wrote in a tweet, “Nobody asked [Bush] her opinion on the matter.”
FWIW, nobody asked @CoriBush her opinion on the matter. Before you judge my agenda, let's have a debate over the policies and the outcomes. Until then, don't be a crab in a barrel! https://t.co/QF2OubL4mO
— Byron Donalds (@ByronDonalds) January 4, 2023
“Before you judge my agenda, let’s have a debate over the policies and the outcomes. Until then, don’t be a crab in a barrel!” he added.