President Donald Trump listens as Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao speaks during an event celebrating American truckers, at the White House, Thursday, April 16, 2020, in Washington. Evan Vucci/AP

Elaine Chao denounces Trump’s ‘anti-Asian’ attacks: ‘Says a whole lot more about him’

Ryan King January 25, 04:38 PMJanuary 25, 04:38 PM Video Embed

Former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao denounced her onetime boss’s racially tinged broadsides 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 told Politico.

“He doesn’t seem to understand that, which says a whole lot more about him than it will ever say about Asian Americans,” she said.

ELAINE CHAO ASKS MEDIA NOT TO REPEAT ‘RACIST’ NICKNAME TRUMP GAVE HER

Since his departure from the White House, Trump has occasionally hurled insults against Chao, the wife of his rival Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). He belittled her as “Coco Chow” or McConnell’s “China-loving wife.”

Notably, Chao was born in Taiwan, which is at odds with Beijing over its sovereignty.

Last year, Chao, who has largely been mum in response, urged media outlets to stop amplifying the “racist” nickname Trump gave her, breaking her long-standing silence on the matter.

Many top Republican officials have also been quiet on Trump’s anti-Asian rhetoric against her.

Trump has fumed at McConnell, who condemned his actions on Jan. 6. Last year, the former president sought to elevate Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) to the No.1 Senate Republican post, but McConnell managed to stave off the challenge. Trump’s racial screeds against Chao are often paired with disparagement of McConnell.

For example, Chao’s initial rebuttal against Trump last year came on the heels of a tirade Trump fired off against McConnell for enabling the passage of a $1.7 trillion omnibus bill. Trump insinuated that McConnell and his wife had ties to China.

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Chao immigrated to the United States at a young age and quickly rose through the ranks in the beltway, having served in multiple Republican administrations as the first Asian American woman secretary of labor and transportation secretary. She resigned from the Trump administration several days before his departure in protest over the Capitol riot.

Trump has previously faced criticism for his rhetoric on Asian Americans, including for referring to the COVID-19 respiratory illness as the “kung flu.” He debuted his 2024 presidential campaign in November.

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