Baltimore's progressive mayor calls reporter 'racist' in heated exchange over luxury taxpayer vehicle

Brandon Scott, the Democratic mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, is facing questions about the taxpayer funds he uses for his transportation as well as social media pushback over a press conference where he suggested racism was a factor.

Scott, a progressive who has served as mayor since 2020, is facing pressure over a Fox Baltimore report showing his primary vehicle, a 2025 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, is the most expensive government-issued vehicle operated by any mayor, governor, county executive, or county commissioner in the state, costing taxpayers $163,495. 

Scott has responded to the report, which claims his SUV costs nearly twice as much as the next most expensive taxpayer vehicle in the state, by pointing to the cost of President Donald Trump’s "Beast" vehicle, arguing that inflation is not being factored in, and suggesting politics are at play. 

Scott, after being pressed by a reporter in a back and forth exchange, called the question "idiotic" and part of a "right-wing" effort to discredit him. 

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"Just because you didn’t get the answer that you wanted in your racist slant, that’s one thing."

Scott has championed himself as a fighter against the "status quo" as the city faces an $85 million budget deficit and has also been an advocate against climate change despite choosing a Jeep Wagoneer to get around, a vehicle with modest gas efficiency at 14 MPG.

Scott’s exchange with the reporter made waves on social media from the mayor’s conservative critics.

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"Mayor Scott could not defend using tax dollars to buy his luxury vehicle, so he called the reporter a racist," Maryland Republican state Delegate Kathy Szeliga posted on X. "Classic deflection. His gas guzzling $165K Jeep Grand Wagoneer must be a sweet ride!"

"When a reporter simply asks about the outrageous cost? Scott immediately screams ‘racism’ and accuses the station of a ‘severe right-wing effort,’" social media commentator Officer Lew posted on X. "Classic deflection. Waste money, play the race card, dodge accountability. This is what happens when identity politics runs City Hall."

"Cry racism to dodge the grift," conservative commentator Brandon Tatum posted on X. "Unqualified virtue-signaler supreme."

"Can’t make this up," conservative influencer account LibsofTikTok posted on X.

Scott has repeatedly criticized the "old way" of Baltimore politics, which he associated with prioritizing image over substance.

"For too long, corrupt and inept leaders of this city have prioritized flashy, yet unsuccessful transportation options that have done nothing to substantially improve the safety and quality of our transportation network," Scott wrote as a mayoral candidate in 2020. 

A spokesperson for the mayor's office told Fox News Digital the 2020 quote has "no relevance whatsoever" to the city's government vehicle fleet and is "clearly a response to a question about utilizing state and federal resources for Baltimore’s public transportation system."

The spokesperson also pushed back on the Fox Baltimore report, saying the vehicle was procured in February 2025 at a normal MSRP through the normal procurement procedure and "the supplier contract was approved without incident by the Board of Estimates on September 18, 2024."

"First, I want to clarify that the vehicle did not cost $163,495. That figure is the total project cost, which includes the cost of the vehicle and the cost of necessary safety modifications. As with any executive vehicle, which is utilized by the Baltimore Police Department’s Executive Protection Unit (EPU), the vehicle is required to be compatible with police operations. This means that the vehicle needed to be fitted with appropriate safety, security, and communications features (emergency vehicle lights, sirens, a microphone, etc.)."

"According to best practices for reliability and safety, the City budgets to purchase a new mayoral vehicle every four years. This vehicle replaced a previous executive vehicle originally purchased in 2016. These vehicles are scheduled to be replaced every four years because they are used far more often through their official duties than an average personal vehicle; as such, they accumulate miles quicker and require more regular maintenance and replacement. Once the vehicles are replaced, the old vehicles are either repurposed for other official duties or sold at auction to ensure cost effectiveness."

The spokesperson also pushed back on the reporting that the mayor's vehicle is the most expensive taxpayer vehicle in the state for an executive, saying the reporting "does not actually provide the evidence to fully support that assertion."

"The story admits that they did not receive documentation from all jurisdictions in the state and utilizes comparisons to vehicles that are substantially older or from jurisdictions that work on a different vehicle replacement cycle or have different executive protection protocols. It also did not include context that the 2016 vehicle served beyond the standard replacement cycle," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson's statement did not address Scott's comment about a "racist slant."