The editor-in-chief of Scientific American announced Thursday that she would leave the publication days after facing backlash for profanity-laced social media posts about President-elect Donald Trump’s supporters.
Laura Helmuth, who claimed that Generation X was “full of f***ing fascists” as Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris last week, said she would be moving on from the publication. Helmuth previously apologized for the comments, which she said did not reflect the views of Scientific American, the nation’s oldest continuously published magazine.
“I’ve decided to leave Scientific American after an exciting 4.5 years as editor in chief,” Helmuth posted on the social media site Bluesky. “I’m going to take some time to think about what comes next (and go birdwatching).”
Under her post announcing her resignation, Helmuth posted links to several articles published under her leadership, including one that claimed “gender-affirming care for trans kids is good health care.”
Exit polls showed that Trump performed best with Generation X, generally considered those between the ages of 45 and 64. One exit poll from NBC showed that Trump defeated Harris 54%-44% in that age range. Polling from ABC showed that Trump defeated Harris 50%-48% among those ages 40-49 and 56%-43% among those ages 50-64.
Her resignation comes after she posted on Bluesky asking for “advice for what workplaces can do to help people who are devastated by the election.”
In other posts, she said, “I apologize to younger voters that my Gen X is so full of f***ing fascists” and “Solidarity to everybody whose meanest, dumbest, most bigoted high-school classmates are celebrating early results because f*** them to the moon and back.”
“Every four years I remember why I left Indiana (where I grew up) and remember why I respect the people who stayed and are trying to make it less racist and sexist. The Moral arc of the universe isn’t going to bend itself,” she said in another post.
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On November 7, Helmuth posted an apology for the posts after criticism from figures like Tesla CEO Elon Musk, commentator Lex Fridman, and historian Michael Shermer.
“I made a series of offensive and inappropriate posts on my personal Bluesky account on election night, and I am sorry. I respect and value people across the political spectrum,” she posted. “These posts, which I have deleted, do not reflect my beliefs; they were a mistaken expression of shock and confusion about the election results.”
Scientific American President Kimberly Lau thanked Helmuth in a statement to The Washington Post.
“We thank Laura for her four years leading Scientific American during which time the magazine won major science communications awards and saw the establishment of a reimagined digital newsroom,” Lau said in a statement. “We wish her well for the future.”
