GOP Sen. Tuberville Questions if ‘Inner City’ Teachers ‘Can Read and Write’
“Most of them in the inner city, I don’t know how they got degrees,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) said.

Andrew Harnik/Pool via Reuters
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) claimed he doesn’t know if “inner city” teachers “can read and write” on Donald Trump Jr.’s Triggered podcast. “COVID really brought it out, how bad our schools are and how bad our teachers are, in the inner city,” the senator proclaimed. “Most of them in the inner city, I don’t know how they got degrees.” He also griped about teachers unions and how they’ve supposedly “killed” schools. “They want a raise. They want less time to work, less time in school. It’s just, we’ve ruined work ethic in this country,” Tuberville complained. “We don’t work at it anymore. We push an easy life.” Citing a report that found 23 Baltimore City schools had zero students proficient in math, the politician continued to harp on about public schools. “If you can’t read and if you can’t write, you can’t live in a country like this and not have somebody help you make it through life, which is what a lot of this government wants,” he said. Tuberville’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment from AL.com.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
- Account (completed)
- Payment (completed)
- Confirmation (completed)
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
- 1Account
- 2Payment
- 3Confirmation