CNN
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Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida said Sunday that “being a racist is never going to be possible” when asked about former President Donald Trump’s personal attacks on his former Transportation Secretary Chao. Scott made a measured response to Trump’s mockery of a prominent Asian-American in the Republican Party.
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social Friday night, Trump directly mocked Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and the Kentucky Republican’s spouse, Chao Chao, calling her the senator’s “love of China”. His wife, Zhou Keke!”
“Never, never be racist,” Scott told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” when asked if Trump’s comments were acceptable. “I think you always You have to be careful, you know, if you’re in the public eye…the way you talk. You make sure you’re inclusive.”
“I hope no one is racist,” the Florida senator added. “I hope no one says anything inappropriate.”
Trump said in his Truth social post last week that McConnell had a “death wish” to support a “Democratic-sponsored bill,” a point that Scott avoided criticizing when Bash asked him if he agreed, Although he later added, “I do not tolerate violence.”
“I think, you know, what the president said was, ‘You know, a lot of money has been spent in the last two years. We have to make sure we don’t keep giving in to the Democrats. It’s causing incredible inflation and it’s causing more more and more debt.”
It was unclear what bill Trump criticized on Friday, or what he meant by accusing McConnell of believing in the Green New Deal, a progressive package of proposals that McConnell blocked from reaching a Senate vote when he was majority leader.
Scott, who chairs the Senate Republican campaign, saw his differences with McConnell spill over into the public eye over the summer.
“The quality of the candidates has a lot to do with the outcome,” McConnell said in August, before describing the GOP’s chances of overthrowing the Senate as a “50/50 proposal.”
Scott responded in an op-ed without mentioning the Kentucky Republican by name, writing: “If you’re trying to help Democrats by trash-talking our candidate, then leave it alone. .” (Scott denied last month that his column was directed at McConnell.)