On March 24, sitting United States Senator Kevin Cramer—a Republican from North Dakota—responded to right wing news outlet Daily Caller's headline about Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
Cramer commented on the right wing outlet's tweet and called her "retarded."
That term is widely recognized as an offensive reference to those with cognitive disabilities.
Kramer later deleted his comment but not before people took screenshots.
@jeremyjturley/Twitter
Cramer quickly claimed his use of the "r-word" was an accident caused by autocorrect on his phone.
Most people on Twitter did not believe Cramer's claim he was a victim of an autocorrect from "ridiculous."
A standard phone will never autocorrect to offensive words like "retarded" unless that word is typed so regularly by the user that the phone learns to suggest it.
Kylie Oversen, the North Dakota Democratic Party Chairwoman, spoke to Forum News Service, saying:
"[There's] not a shot that (Cramer) is telling the truth...I have no idea why anyone would use that word, let alone a sitting U.S. senator. It's offensive and hurtful and unacceptable."
It's pretty far fetched that autocorrect is to blame for the slur unless Cramer is claiming he routinely does use the slur.
Many online were disgusted that any elected official, let alone a Senator, would use such language when referring to one of his colleagues.
Or use it so often to refer to anyone that his phone defaults to slurs.
It seems Cramer learned from the leader of his party...
There were others who called for Cramer to resign.
There's a reason the "r-word" has become taboo in civilized society—it does real harm to real people who already struggle with disabilities. As a Senator, Cramer should know better than to throw the term around lightly or cover for his mistake with a lie, whichever is actually the truth.
Perhaps he—or someone you know—could benefit from watching this.
When Is It Okay to Say the R-Word?youtu.be
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@JamesTate121/X
