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.
\u201cGood for Erin Burnett for calling out Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) for calling her "young lady." \n\nHe then claims he meant it as a "compliment" because it's his first time on the "Clinton News Network."\n\n"That, I will say, was a bit, in my opinion, rude," replies Burnett. /1\u201d— Sarah Rumpf (@Sarah Rumpf) 1672966288
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.
\u201cI was sitting on set when this happened. Pretty apparent he intended to be a jerk to @ErinBurnett in the first place, and then doubled down on it by insulting her employer. Costs nothing to be nice in this world but being a jerk is more expensive than most people know.\u201d— Scott Jennings (@Scott Jennings) 1673018790
\u201c"Young lady" is the patronizing phrase men use to put a woman in her place. If called in it, they retreat to the "I was being respectful" \ud83d\udca9 @TroyNehls You were demeaning & rude.\u201d— RobinComfort@mstdn.social #IStandWithUkraine \ud83c\udf3b (@RobinComfort@mstdn.social #IStandWithUkraine \ud83c\udf3b) 1673001842
\u201cI have been called young lady. As a company commander. From a BN CDR who displayed counterproductive leadership traits in many facets of his command. \n\nCalling an adult woman young lady (especially doing her job)is demeaning. No matter where you come from or how you were raised.\u201d— Silent PAO (@Silent PAO) 1673005356
\u201cFor Troy\u2019s fellow misogynists, this is not how you talk to an adult professional woman FYI.\u201d— Serena (@Serena) 1673008527
\u201cSuch a weird interaction and unnecessary comment. Just own up to your poor choice of words. No need to double down when you make a \u201cmistake\u201d It ain\u2019t hard to be kind. And this man is a leader \ud83d\ude14 #sexist #mansplain #diversitygoals\u201d— Glen Guyton \ud83c\udfa4\u270d\ud83c\udffd \ud83d\udca1 (@Glen Guyton \ud83c\udfa4\u270d\ud83c\udffd \ud83d\udca1) 1673011635
\u201cOnly your mama could invoke the \u201cyoung lady\u201d or \u201clittle miss,\u201d usually prefaced by \u201clisten here,\u201d back when you were oh, 12 or 13 years old. Kudos to @ErinBurnett for calling him out while still keeping the focus not on her but the news. She was terrific all day.\u201d— Jan Crawford (@Jan Crawford) 1672983597
\u201cWe wonder, as a party, why our \u201ctent\u201d is growing smaller & smaller every day.\n\n@gop wonders why people are leaving the party in droves.\n\nAmongst *many* other things, it\u2019s comments like these by @RepTroyNehls, that are entirely unnecessary, that continue to erode our credibility.\u201d— Gavin J. Smith (@Gavin J. Smith) 1673013123
\u201cRepublicans live in an alternate universe and struggle to communicate outside their own circles.\u201d— Friday Night Music Party is people, it's people! (@Friday Night Music Party is people, it's people!) 1673028968
\u201cIt is rude, sexist, and infantilizing to call any female *young lady,* regardless of intent. Don\u2019t do it.\u201d— glenda funk (@glenda funk) 1673006758
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.