Former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao has responded to Trump’s racist attacks against her as the rest of her party enables him with silence.
For months Trump has been consistently attacking Chao and using overt racism against her, and she responded to Politico, “When I was young, some people deliberately misspelled or mispronounced my name. Asian Americans have worked hard to change that experience for the next generation. He doesn’t seem to understand that, which says a whole lot more about him than it will ever say about Asian Americans.”
Unlike Trump’s other attacks on those he considers enemies, his comments about Chao, who is married to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, he has not tried to hide his racist intent.
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The Republican leadership has remained silent on these attacks. Chao has asked reporters not to amplify Trump’s comments, and possibly for the same reason, Sen. McConnell has refused to engage with Trump’s attacks, but nothing is stopping the rest of the Republican Party from denouncing Trump.
The reason why Trump is likely to win the Republican nomination in 2024 is that Republicans remain terrified of him and his supporters. They refuse to stand up to Trump. The same dynamic existed in 2016, 2020, 2022, and there is nothing to suggest that it will change in 2024.
Chao is right. Trump’s comments say more about Donald Trump than they do about Asian Americans, and the silent enabling of these attacks speaks volumes about the Republican Party.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
