Mississippi lawmaker sparks outrage for racist meme on suspected Chinese spy balloon

A Mississippi state senator has come under fire on Twitter after posting a racist meme referencing the suspected Chinese spy balloon that breached U.S. airspace last week.

Sen. Joel R. Carter, Jr., a Republican who represents the 49th District, shared an image of a weather balloon superimposed with the words “Weather Barroon” and “Totary NOT For Spying.” In the tweet, he wrote: “Biden Administration currently.”

The alleged spy balloon was first spotted over Montana, which houses three of the nation’s nuclear missile silos. 

Over the next few days, it traveled across the continental U.S. before it reached the Atlantic Ocean off the Carolina coast and was shot down by an American F-22 fighter jet.

In response, China’s Foreign Ministry denied any espionage activity, claiming that the object in question was an unmanned civilian airship “used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes.”

The airship is from China. It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes. Affected by the Westerlies and with limited self-steering capability, the airship deviated far from its planned course. The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into US airspace due to force majeure. The Chinese side will continue communicating with the US side and properly handle this unexpected situation caused by force majeure.

President Joe Biden, who wanted the balloon down as early as Wednesday, hailed the balloon’s destruction as a success. 

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have cheered the military response.

Carter was among those officials. But his meme using a mock Asian accent immediately drew backlash on Twitter, with many calling him out for blatant racism.

Biden Administration currently. pic.twitter.com/HTlo7tJ6ne

— Senator Joel R. Carter, Jr. (@JoelCarterMS) February 4, 2023

“Does the ‘R.’ in your name stand for ‘Racist’?” attorney and MSNBC host Katie S. Phang wrote under Carter’s tweet.

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