Donald Trump once called Mitch McConnell's wife Elaine Chao ‘crazy’ – now she is appointed to the Kennedy Center
BySumanti Sen
Mar 10, 2025 10:33 AM IST
The Kennedy Center's website confirms Elaine Chao's appointment, a decision that is being questioned since Donald Trump previously gave her a racist nickname.
Laura Loomer pointed out on X that Mitch McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, has been appointed to the Kennedy Center by President Donald Trump. The Political activist questioned the appointment, noting that Trump previously called Chao “crazy.”
Trump once called Mitch McConnell's wife Elaine Chao ‘crazy’ – now she is appointed to the Kennedy Center (Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post, Chip Somodevilla/Pool Photo via AP)
Trump once called Mitch McConnell's wife Elaine Chao ‘crazy’ – now she is appointed to the Kennedy Center (Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post, Chip Somodevilla/Pool Photo via AP)
“So this is weird,” Loomer wrote on X, sharing a screenshot of Chao’s name on the Kennedy Center website, under the subhead ‘Members Appointed by the President of the United States’. “Mitch McConnell’s Chinese wife, @ElaineChao has been appointed to the Kennedy Center.”
“In 2022, President Trump called Elaine Chao “crazy” and said Mitch should spend “less time helping his crazy wife and family get rich on China!”,” Loomer added, also sharing a screenshot of Trump’s 2022 post. “Why is she a member now?”
What did Donald Trump say about Elaine Chao?
Back in 2022, Trump called Chao “crazy” and alleged that her family was working to “get rich on China.” The Truth Social post was made to blast Chao’s husband, McConnell, for saying the GOP might face a tight race to flip the Senate, partly because of his “candidate quality.”
Trump wrote at the time, “Why do Republicans Senators allow a broken down hack politician, Mitch McConnell, to openly disparage hard working Republican candidates for the United States Senate. This is such an affront to honor and to leadership. He should spend more time (and money!) helping them get elected, and less time helping his crazy wife and family get rich on China!”
The Chinese shipping company Foremost Group was founded by Chao’s father. Chao’s sister, Angela Chao, was chair and CEO from 2018 to 2024. However, Chao had no formal ties to the business.
Despite having no ties, both Chao and McConnell faced questions over her potential conflicts of interest when Chao served in the White House as Trump’s Transportation Secretary. She also faced questions on whether she used the government resources to support her family’s business.
Trump was previously also criticised for giving Chao a racist nickname while slamming her husband. “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 in 2022. “In any event, either reason is unacceptable. He has a DEATH WISH. Must immediately seek help and advise from his China loving wife, Coco Chow!”
Chao, who immigrated to the US from Taiwan, later appeared on CNN and urged media outlets to stop repeating the racist name Trump called her. "Well I think it is very helpful if the media does not repeat that racist tweet. If it were the n-word, or any other word, the media would not repeat it. But the media continuously repeats his racist taunt. And so, he’s trying to get a rise out of us," Chao said. "He says all sorts of outrageous things, and I don’t make a point of answering any one of them."
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