Democratic Florida Rep. Jared Moskowitz apologized Monday after making a joke on social media about Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Moskowitz issued an apology after making a remark that referenced a stereotype about Asians and dogs. His comments were made in response to a clip of Noem discussing her upcoming book on “CBS Mornings.”
“Why am I getting the feeling that she wanted to eat dog with Kim Jong Un,” Moskowitz said in his now-deleted post on X, formerly Twitter, according to Politico. The joke was quickly criticized for perpetuating racial stereotypes, prompting Moskowitz to retract his statement and remove the post. Politico reporter Nicholas Wu called out Moskowitz for the insensitive joke.
Rep. Moskowitz using a stereotype here about Asians and dogs https://t.co/0Ue43NpKt6 pic.twitter.com/iIIEikOvkS
— Nicholas Wu (@nicholaswu12) May 6, 2024
Wu’s social media post prompted Moskowitz to respond and explain his previous posts.
I have tremendous respect for Nick as a fantastic journalist. I made a joke about 2 specific people. No one else. However, I would never want to be insensitive and feed into a stereotype. He called me out, deserved.
— Jared Moskowitz (@JaredEMoskowitz) May 6, 2024
In a statement to Politico, Moskowitz further clarified his earlier comments.
“It was a joke about Kristi Noem and the dictator of North Korea — 2 people, no one else. I took the post down as I didn’t want it to be misconstrued and offend the broader community. I condemn those stereotypes and would never want to feed into them,” Moskowitz told Politico.
The apology was acknowledged by the House of Representatives’ only two Korean American Democrats, New Jersey Rep Andy Kim and Washington Rep. Marilyn Strickland. (RELATED: ‘Immature’: Dem Rep Strolls Through Capitol Wearing Vladimir Putin Mask)
“While we appreciate our colleague standing up to GOP extremism, we cannot perpetuate harmful stereotypes in the process,” Kim and Strickland said in a statement, according to Politico. “We thank Rep. Moskowitz for apologizing and taking down his tweet.”