Miss Texas calls out Trump for weak comments on Charlottesville

Miss Texas delivered a bold answer to a politically-charged question in time where the contrast between red and blue states is starker than ever. Reactions were just as heated — and maybe that’s exactly what the Miss America pageant wanted.

In less than 60 words,  22-year-old Miss Texas Margana Wood condemned the violent clashes in Charlottesville more forcefully than the President of the United States — and in front of millions of viewers.

Reactions have been as polarized as racially-charged events that inspired her comments.

During the question portion of last night’s Miss America pageant, Woods stepped up to the mic and faced a loaded question from judge Jess Cagle, editorial director at EW and PEOPLE.

What were her thoughts on President Trump’s controversial claim that there “very fine people on both sides” of the protests?

She responded:

"I think that the white supremacists issue, it was very obvious that it was a terrorist attack. And I think that President Donald Trump should have made a statement earlier addressing the fact, and making sure all Americans feel safe in this country, that is the number one issue right now."

Beauty pageants are famous for asking softball questions and receiving vague, inoffensive answers. Miss Texas’s answer broke the mold, and her bold statement was applauded by the audience and across social media:

Naturally, not everyone was singing her praises. Some were exhausted by what seemed like yet another aspect of life forcefully politicized by the media. Miss Texas was not the only contestant to answer a politically-charged question. Other comments were more personal, attacking Woods’ intelligence and accusing her of pandering to the “liberal” judges.

The Q&A portion was designed to counteract the perceived superficiality of a contest that by judging women by their looks, reducing them to objects. While controversial questions also keep Miss America relevant, it can also seem like a shameless ploy for ratings that plays on hot-topic issues.

Next: John Oliver on Joe Arpaio

Whatever motive the producers of Miss America had for getting political this year seemed to pay off, though. “Miss Texas” has been trending since last night.