Lorie Shaull, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, Cropped by Resist the Mainstream

On Tuesday morning, Democratic Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser offered only two words in response to the Baltimore bridge collapse last night. 

Last night, at about 3:00 AM Eastern Time, a section of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore was struck by a container ship and collapsed. Bowser took to X and responded to a post from an account covering the news, writing in a now-deleted comment: “Oh no.”

Many social media users picked up on the mayor’s brief response, slamming Bowser for her choice of words.

“The dc mayor saying ‘oh no’ to the bridge collapse in baltimore is INSANE UH,’” one user wrote in a now-deleted post on X. 

“This is the funniest reaction a mayor has ever given to a national tragedy,” wrote another.

“mayor muriel bowser? this is not what i voted for,” wrote a third. 

“dc mayor muriel bowser reacts to a bridge collapse on twitter (2024; colorized),” wrote another, attaching a picture of Alex Norris’ “Oh no” comics. 

Hours later, Bowser published another social media post about the collapse, offering her condolences to the people lost in the collapse. 

“Our prayers are with our neighbors in Baltimore and all those impacted by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” Bowser wrote on X at 9:07 a.m. “This morning, I reached out to Mayor Scott, and we stand ready to support Baltimore in these difficult days ahead.”