Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) remarked Thursday that he was “glad” that his wife, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, was not “willing” to go back to her home country of Taiwan.
During an interview with Fox Business Network, McConnell was asked how he felt about Chao’s nationality being brought up by reporters who asked whether it would be racist for someone to tell Chao to “go back” to Taiwan.
{mosads}”Well, I’m glad Elaine’s not willing to go back home,” McConnell said, chuckling. “As your viewers may not know, she came here at age 8, not speaking a word of English. She’s been in two Cabinets, both President [George H.W.] Bush 43 and President Trump’s. I’m really proud of her.”
“She’s not interested in going home and I’m glad she’s not,” he added.
The remarks came during a discussion about President Trump’s tweets urging four Democratic congresswomen to “go back” to their home “countries,” which have been officially condemned as “racist” by the House of Representatives.
McConnell told reporters on Tuesday that he does not believe Trump is a racist, and dodged a question from CNN’s Manu Raju on whether the president’s sentiment would be racist had it been directed at McConnell’s wife.
Chao, the senator said Tuesday, “has realized the American dream, and I think all of us think that this is a process of renewal that’s gone on in this country for a very long time, and it’s good for America and we ought to continue it.”
Trump has battled Democrats for days following his Sunday Twitter attacks aimed at Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).
The House voted this week to condemn the tweets, which many lawmakers including Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said were racist.