Trump Says McConnell Has 'Death Wish,' Insults His Wife

Former president uses racial slur against Elaine Chao in social media post
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 1, 2022 7:45 AM CDT
Trump's Remarks on McConnell, Wife Chao Escalate Feud
Former President Donald Trump tosses caps to the crowd as he holds a rally on Sept. 23 in Wilmington, NC.   (AP Photo/Chris Seward, File)

The longtime Donald Trump-Mitch McConnell feud reached new levels on Friday after a social media post by the former president. Per CNN, a stopgap funding bill to prevent a government shutdown, with funds also allocated for aid to Ukraine and disaster relief, passed the Senate and House on Thursday and Friday, respectively, with plenty of Republicans joining Dems in passing the measure. It's not clear if Trump is miffed at the Senate Minority Leader for that vote, for his support of the Electoral Count Act, or for something else entirely, but on Friday evening, Trump let it all out on social media with a scathing post about McConnell that included what some are saying is a threat, as well as a racial slur against McConnell's wife, Elaine Chao.

"Is McConnell approving all of these Trillions of Dollars worth of Democrat sponsored Bills, without even the slightest bit of negotiation, because he hates Donald J. Trump, and he knows I am strongly opposed to them, or is he doing it because he believes in the Fake and Highly Destructive Green New Deal, and is willing to take the Country down with him?" Trump wrote. He then added that McConnell "has a DEATH WISH," and tacked onto the end of his post that the senator "must immediately seek help and advise [sic] from his China loving wife, Coco Chow!" Chao, who was born in Taipei, Taiwan, served in the Trump administration as his secretary of transportation. She resigned the day after the Jan. 6 riot at the US Capitol.

Many on Twitter slammed Trump for his comments about Chao, as well as for what they say was an incitement to violence against McConnell via the "death wish" remark. CNN notes that Trump has used that term before to criticize Republicans. Meanwhile, Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich informed NBC it's "absurd" that anyone thought Trump's words were meant to be a threat. "Mitch McConnell is killing the Republican Party through weakness and cowardice," Budowich wrote in an email. "He obviously has a political death wish for himself and [the] Republican Party." (More Donald Trump stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X