During a visit to San Francisco’s Chinatown, Elaine Chao declined to comment on insults former President Donald Trump made about her Asian identity in October.
According to Forbes, the Trump called referred to Chao, who is Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnel’s (R-KY) wife, as “China loving wife, Coco Chow” on his social media platform Truth Social.
Chao was the Secretary of Transportation for Trump but resigned shortly after the January 6 attack on the capitol. Trump and Chao’s husband have been feuding over the past few months.
Community leaders and politicians, including California’s governor Gavin Newsom, condemned Trump’s racist insults towards Chao.
“The racist slurs and hate that former U.S. President Donald Trump directed against former U.S. Secretary of Labor and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao was deplorable, disgusting, and inexcusable,” Committee of 100 President Zhengyu Huang in a statement to Forbes.
Accoring to the SF Standard, avoided the topic again a few days ago during her trip to San Francisco’s Chinatown. Chao was welcomed as the guest of honor at an event hosted by Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association President that was specifically for Chinese-language media.
Instead of addressing Trump, she urged Asian Americans to unite.
“I say to my fellow Asian Americans, number one: don’t be afraid of the country,” Chao said, according to the SF Standard. “Always be proud of our heritage because now America is more diverse.”
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