US Politics
The far-right’s new, derogatory term for white women has exploded after Renee Good killing
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The far-right has coined a new derogatory term for white women, which has gained traction following the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, in Minneapolis earlier this month.
Right-wing commentators and internet trolls have labeled Good, and other women whose political views they reject, with the acronym “A.W.F.U.L.,” according to The New York Times.
“An AWFUL (Affluent White Female Urban Liberal) is dead after running her car into an ICE agent who opened fire on her,” Erik Erickson, a conservative commentator, posted on X January 7. “Progressive whites are turning violent. ICE agents have the right to defend themselves.”
The acronym has spread on social media, with one user describing it as “the most precisely accurate acronym ever written.” Another wrote: “AWFUL (affluent white female urban liberal) should be avoided at all costs. They will ruin men’s lives just like they’re ruining western civilization.”
The term — which circulated online as early as last summer — cropped up on Wiktionary, an online dictionary, this month.
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The phrase has sparked backlash too. One X user called it “borderline dehumanizing” while another dismissed it as “f****** disgusting.”
The killing of Good — who was shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross on January 7 — has triggered a reaction from many people on the right that is particularly focused on liberal white women, according to the Times.
Billionaire Elon Musk recently amplified a post on X that stated: “Liberal women will divorce their husband and only let him see his children once a month. Then cry about how ICE hurts families.”
“BEWARE of ALL white liberal women,” Hunter Eagleman, a prominent conservative influencer, wrote on X.
College-educated women, including white women, are skeptical of President Donald Trump and his agenda, according to polls. A March 2025 survey by NBC News found that 67 percent of white college-educated women had a negative view of Trump, while just 29 percent held a positive view.
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Trump administration officials have brushed off the derisive swipes at white liberal women, insisting their priority remains immigration enforcement.
“I’m more concerned with facts on the ground than I am about acronyms,” Tricia McLaughlin, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, told the Times.
But, critics claim the attacks on liberal women are a pernicious, long-standing problem. “Trump and this administration are heavily misogynist, and that’s always a big part of what he does,” Barbara Comstock, a former GOP congresswoman from Virginia, told the Times.