Former U.S. Transportation Secretary
January 25, 2023
Elaine Chao has spoken out against Donald Trump following his repeated racist attacks against her.
“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,” Chao said in a statement to Politico. “He doesn’t seem to understand that, which says a whole lot more about him than it will ever say about Asian Americans.”
Chao, who served under Trump, has previously been reserved in her criticism of the former president, who has repeatedly taunted Chao and her husband, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Trump has referred to Chao, who was born in Taiwan, as McConnell’s “China-loving wife,” among other derogatory terms that Chao has asked the media not to use.
Trump used a racist nickname to describe Chao earlier this week when he threw together a mishmash of conspiracy theories to attack her and her husband.