Texas Republican Representative Troy Nehls was widely criticized after he called CNN reporter Erin Burnett "young lady" during a live interview, a condescending remark that left her visibly taken aback.
Nehls appeared on CNN on Thursday, January 5, to discuss the ongoing chaos in the House of Representative designed to block former House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy from the speakership.
Burnett noted that Nehls' colleague, North Carolina Representative Patrick McHenry, "is trying to lock in support for McCarthy for Speaker" and asked Nehls whether he is prepared to "go all night" to end the stalemate, to which he responded he could be there "until July."
The interview went south from there as soon as Nehls whipped out the sexism in an attempt to boost his credentials as a member of the House Freedom Caucus, which is generally considered to be the most conservative and farthest-right bloc within the House Republican Conference.
You can watch their interaction in the video below.
After Burnett asked if there is "nothing that can break or shake" his support for McCarthy, Nehls gave the following response:
"Well, listen, I don't know if you are aware, young lady, but I am also a member of the House Freedom Caucus so I am one of those 'America First' patriots and I said to my friends, my colleagues in the Freedom Caucus, that I don't believe this is the battle we should be waging."
"I think the real battle starts when we start drafting legislation and policy in the 118th Congress under Speaker McCarthy and you have to understand, your viewers have to understand, there's 35 to 40 of us in the House Freedom Caucus."
"If we have a simple small, a thin margin, of 222 Republicans, it takes 218 of us to pass any legislation."
"The House Freedom Caucus is more relevant than ever so I believe that is the battle, those are the conversations that should take place, because Kevin McCarthy understands that in order for him to pass anything in this 118th Congress, he's going to need the support and the endorsement of the House Freedom Caucus, and that's why I believe we should have these conversations."
After Nehls had finished, a visibly taken aback Burnett said she assumed his "young lady" comment was complimentary, to which Nehls responded that "of course it was" before proceeding to insult CNN by referring to it as "the Clinton News Network."
Burnett quickly moved on, but not before sharing that she felt Nehls' choice of words was "a bit rude":
"Okay, that I will say, in my opinion, [was] a bit rude but I'm glad you're talking to me and I will treat you with the respect you deserve."
The footage of the interview quickly went viral and prompted many to criticize Nehls for a blatantly sexist remark.
Republicans have previously come under fire for referring to accomplished women as "young lady," words that diminish their own expertise.
Most notably, New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez once criticized West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin after he failed to use her official title and referred to her as a "young lady" in an interview, openly questioning why "this kind of weird, patronizing behavior is so accepted."
In September 2022, Ocasio-Cortez admonished Louisiana Republican Representative Clay Higgins after he referred to environmental lawyer and clean energy advocate Raya Salter as “young lady” and “boo" during a House Oversight Hearing in which Salter elevated the concerns of marginalized communities most likely to suffer the adverse effects of pollution and climate change.
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