Maryland Rep. David Trone apologized after he blurted out a racial slur during a March 21 budget hearing as he addressed a Black woman who serves as one of the highest-ranking officials in the Biden administration.
Trone, a 68-year-old Democrat elected in 2018 and running for U.S. Senate in his third term in Congress, claimed he stumbled over his words and misspoke as he tried to say the term “bugaboo,” but instead belted out a racist trope during an exchange with Shalanda Young, the director of the Office of Budget and Management, who is Black.
Trone’s use of the slur was inexplicable and seemed out of context as he was discussing business competition, profits and losses, and the impact of corporate tax rates, which he said didn’t hurt his business.
“Can you compete? Can you do it better than the other competitor? And with that, can you create a P&L statement that works? And the tax rate that’s after the P&L, it’s never ever once been a consideration. So this Republican jigaboo, that it’s a tax rate that stopping business investment, it’s just completely faulty by people who have never run a business,” he said. “They’ve never been there. They don’t have a clue what they’re talking about.”
The slur by Trone is a racist stereotype that’s been historically used to dehumanize Black people, often implying that they are inferior to whites.
The term is deeply offensive and not appropriate to use in any context.
There was no indication that Trone had ever been involved in any previous racial controversies, including the use of dog-whistle terms in his public remarks.
In fact, Trone previously called out racism in his home state four years ago as protests gripped the country in the wake of George Floyd’s police custody death in Minneapolis.
In June 2020, Trone called attention to a racist effigy that was put up by someone in Grantsville, Md., saying he contacted local authorities and demanded it be taken down immediately.
“If there was any question, racism is still very alive in our country today. We must fight this disgusting behavior with every bone in our body,” he wrote on Facebook at the time.
But during last Thursday’s hearing, Trone — who owns the national Total Wine & More chain — found himself in a self-inflicted racial controversy as he unleashed the racial slur during his praise of President Joe Biden’s tax proposals.
Perhaps most remarkably, he uttered the slur during the testimony of a Black woman in a major position of power, who often faces intense scrutiny by white men over their eligibility or qualifications, leading to increased diversity and inclusion efforts nationwide.
Some voices on social media called Trone’s use of the word disrespectful toward Young, while others defended Trone, saying he didn’t intend to insult the official.
Young, who is in charge of setting the president’s fiscal agenda, was unflappable during the moment and did not respond to Trone’s use of the slur.
As the hearing went on, she agreed with the congressman that the current tax rates for corporations and wealthy individuals needed to change.
During the exchange, Trone mentioned that Biden’s proposed budget could help allocate more funds for improving child care and expanding pre-K education nationwide.
He also gave an example of how many more people could benefit from food assistance programs if Amazon paid a 21 percent corporate tax rate.
But Trone’s use of the racial slur overshadowed his key economic points and was also noteworthy because he is facing a Black candidate in the Senate primary to replace retiring Sen. Ben Cardin.
Angela Alsobrooks, who is currently the chief public official in Prince George’s County, near Washington, D.C., is aiming to become Maryland’s first Black U.S. senator.
New polling data indicates that the primary election race is anyone’s race, with 39 percent of voters still undecided, but Trone maintaining a 7-point lead over Alsobrooks, who so far has not commented on Trone’s remarks.
Following the hearing, Trone issued a written apology, saying he inadvertently used the insult while addressing a Black administration official.
Trone acknowledged his slip-up was an example of white privilege, referring to the unearned societal advantages that white people enjoy in many aspects of life due to their race.
“While attempting to use the word ‘bugaboo’ in a hearing, I used a phrase that is offensive,” he said. “That word has a long dark terrible history. It should never be used any time, anywhere, in any conversation. I recognize that as a white man, I have privilege. And as an elected official, I have a responsibility for the words I use — especially in the heat of the moment. Regardless of what I meant to say, I shouldn’t have used that language.”
Throughout his Senate campaign, Trone has courted Black voters by voicing support for reparations and criminal justice reforms.
Trone’s name was rising among Black constituents because he has supported bills aimed at fixing historic racial injustices, including his co-sponsorship of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and legislation that would remove the requirement to inform employers of a job applicant’s criminal history.
He also founded the Second Chance Task Force in 2023 to advocate for policies that help people reentering society after incarceration.
It remains to be seen if Trone’s blunder on the House floor would hurt his chances as he was widely predicted to beat Alsobrooks in the upcoming primary and move on to face former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan for the Senate seat in November.
Alsobrooks has struggled to gain traction with Black voters in Baltimore, where Trone wields strong support.
