It is a tired cliche that beauty pageants are not known for their contestants’ razor-sharp analyses of the world’s political problems.
But this weekend during the Miss America beauty pageant, Miss Texas Margana Wood was asked to evaluate President Trump’s response to the white supremacist march in Charlottesville last month and she “did not hold back”, says Buzzfeed News.
In the twenty seconds Wood had to respond she said: “I think that the white supremacist issue, it was very obvious that it was a terrorist attack. And I think that President Donald Trump should’ve made a statement earlier addressing the fact, and in making sure all Americans feel safe in this country. That is the number one issue right now.”
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Wood's words were widely praised on Twitter with many suggesting she did a better job articulating herself than the president himself.
Wood’s comments “were in line with other statements she’s made”, says The Huffington Post. As Miss Texas, she called her platform “You Belong” and spoke out against bullying and for equality and inclusion.
“It’s important for everyone to hear the phrase because they do ― everybody belongs,” Wood told Out Smart, a Houston-based magazine for the LGBTQ community.
While Wood’s response drew loud cheers from the audience, she didn’t win the pageant. Miss North Dakota Cara Mund - who also criticised the president this time for pulling the US out of the Paris climate agreement - took this year’s crown.
Mund said Trump was wrong to withdraw the US from the climate accord aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. “It’s a bad decision,” she said.
“There is evidence that climate change is existing and we need to be at that table.”
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