Miss Texas didn’t win Miss America. But her comments won her millions of new fans
Miss Texas didn’t win the Miss America contest Sunday night but she was getting much of the buzz afterward for calling out President Trump for his comments about shared blame in the violence in Charlottesville, Va., last month.
A counterprotester was killed during a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville on Aug. 12 and Trump commented that there was “violence on many sides” and “very fine people on both sides.”
Miss Texas Margana Wood was asked during the Q&A portion of the nationally televised contest Sunday night about the president’s comments.
“I think that the white supremacist issue — it was very obvious that it was a terrorist attack,” she said firmly. “And I think that President Donald Trump should have made a statement earlier addressing the fact, and in making sure all Americans feel safe in this country. That is the No. 1 issue right now.”
Her questioner, PEOPLE editor-in-chief Jess Cagle, looked like he was sorry he asked.
Miss Texas was asked if Trump handled Charlottesville badly. She, uh ... didn't play. #MissAmerica pic.twitter.com/5JMT4tBpeL
— shauna (@goldengateblond) September 11, 2017
There were loud cheers in Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall which soon made their way onto social media.
Miss Texas for President!!#MissAmerica Her name is Margana Wood https://t.co/j7Ma4N4m3I
— Sally Albright (@SallyAlbright) September 11, 2017
@marganawood Great job answering white supremacist question. I wish you had been chosen to represent the US!
— N Winston (@nwinston) September 11, 2017
Yes @MissAmericaTX @marganawood your answer was a hero answer. Yer #MissAmerica No.2 in many minds https://t.co/5OLTYIDPQ2
— Darren Puscas (@darrenpuscas) September 11, 2017
Not generally a fan of beauty pageants, but have to tip my hat to this intelligent, insightful & gutsy young woman. Margana Wood, you rock.
— William Blake (@_William_Blake) September 11, 2017
Y'all! #MissTexas came out swinging + made me hella proud to be a Texan.❤️ to fellow Houstonian @marganawood for speaking truth to power. https://t.co/4rqS44H6lP
— An Asian on Occasion (@GermanCityGirl) September 11, 2017
Wood, a 22-year-old graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and native of Houston, was fourth runner-up in the competition, which was won by Miss North Dakota, Cara Mund. Mund, 23, also criticized Trump during the interview segment of the pageant, saying he was wrong to pull the United States out of the Paris climate accord. But it was Wood’s response about Trump and white supremacists that generated the buzz.
On her Miss America bio page, Wood lists her platform issue as being “You Belong.” It stems from her own experience of overcoming bullying in middle and high school, she says. Her SMART students program emphasizes the importance of respect and inclusion and she has also teamed up with the national Little Words Project, whose mission is to spread kindness, according to her bio.
Tom Uhler: 817-390-7832, @tomuh
This story was originally published September 12, 2017 at 12:11 PM with the headline "Miss Texas didn’t win Miss America. But her comments won her millions of new fans."