The editor-in-chief of Scientific American apologized on Friday for a “mistaken expression of shock and confusion” after she went on an expletive-filled rant against Donald Trump voters on election night.
Laura Helmuth, of the longtime science and technology publication, put up a series of social media posts reportedly bashing supporters of the Republican as Trump was on his way to victory over Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Solidarity to everybody whose meanest, dumbest, most bigoted high-school classmates are celebrating early results because f–k them to the moon and back,” she wrote in one post on the social media platform Bluesky, according to Fox News.
In another post, she reportedly wrote, “I apologize to younger voters that my Gen X is full of f–king fascists.”
The online posts soon led to backlash with throngs of social media users calling on her to resign, claiming she could not carry out her job as editor objectively.
Helmuth, who used to work at the Washington Post as a health and science editor, offered an apology a few days later in which she attempted to distance her professional career from her personal screed.
“I made a series of offensive and inappropriate posts on my personal Bluesky account on election night, and I am sorry,” she wrote in a statement. “I respect and value people across the political spectrum. These posts, which I have deleted, do not reflect my beliefs; they were a mistaken expression of shock and confusion about the election results.
“These posts of course do not reflect the position of Scientific American or my colleagues. I am committed to civil communication and editorial objectivity,” she added.
Scientific American formally endorsed Harris for president over Trump, only the second time in the magazine’s 179-year history that its editors made a pick for the White House.
The one other time the outlet endorsed a candidate was in 2020 when it backed President Biden who was also running against Trump.
Trump, the 45th president and soon-to-be 47th president, easily trounced Harris last week, clinching 312 electoral votes in a resounding win.
