Liberal New York Magazine writer roasted for mocking conservative group’s efforts to help stranded motorists

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Truck driver stuck on I-95 for hours urges those stranded in pileup to ask truckers for help

Emily Clementson says that truck drivers often carry extra supplies and food for themselves and others in case of emergency.

New York magazine writer Jonathan Chait was roasted on Tuesday for mocking an effort to help drivers stranded in an unprecedented traffic jam along Interstate 95 in Northern Virginia. 

Thousands were stranded, or stuck in slow-moving traffic, after a winter storm dumped up to a foot of snow and toppled trees across the region Monday. I-95 was closed northbound and southbound between Exits 104 and 152 leading up to the Washington, D.C., metro area and there are reports of drivers being trapped on the icy roads for more than 24 hours, such as Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, D.

DRIVERS TRAPPED ON VIRGINIA INTERSTATE AS TEMPERATURES DROPPED DURING THE OVERNIGHT 

New York magazine writer Jonathan Chait was roasted for mocking an effort to help drivers stranded in an unprecedented traffic jam along Interstate 95 in Northern Virginia.  (https://twitter.com/jonathanchait)

The Reagan Battalion, a conservative group, tried to help with its verified Twitter account that has nearly 100,000 followers. 

"PLEASE RETWEET," the Reagan Battalion wrote. "Stuck on the I-95 in Virginia and are in need of food, water, pampers for babies or warming supplies? Please reply with need AND MILE MARKER and we’ll try to connect you to other drivers in your area who might be able to share some supplies with you."

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Chait, who claimed last year that opposing President Biden was essentially the same as supporting authoritarianism taking hold in the U.S., took the tweet as an opportunity to mock conservatives. 

"The Reaganites used to believe in pulling yourself up by your bootstraps," Chait wrote to quote the Reagan Battalion’s attempt to help people. 

(https://twitter.com/jonathanchait/status/1478397621354078222)

Chait was swiftly dragged on Twitter by users in disbelief that he would mock efforts to help people:  

The Reagan Battalion eventually responded, too. 

The I-95 fiasco has received national media attention, and prominent journalists have also been caught up in the mess.

In a Twitter thread, NBC News reporter Josh Lederman said early Tuesday morning that the "interstate is absolutely littered with disabled vehicles. Not just cars. Semis, everything. Nobody can move. People are running out of gas or abandoning vehicles." 

Kristen Powers, an ABC7 reporter who also says she is stuck in the mess, tweeted this morning that another driver told her that she "thought she was going for a 15-minute drive, so she didn’t bring any food or water," but ended up being "stuck for almost 12 hours and is now running low on gas." 

Fox News’ Greg Norman contributed to this report.