Trump calls Korean American running in Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor a ‘lunatic’
Railing against communism, the president slammed Democratic Socialist Francesca Hong over a past call to cancel Thanksgiving.
Published
President Donald Trump dances after speaking at an event at the Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas, Wednesday, Aug. 5.AP/YONHAP
U.S. President Donald Trump called a Korean American candidate for governor of Wisconsin a "communist" during a speech in Las Vegas on Wednesday, saying "lunatics" like her are dangerous.
"And in Wisconsin, the communists even have a woman who said that the holiday of Thanksgiving should be immediately abolished and the police only exist to quote 'uphold white supremacy'," Trump said at the Red Rock Casino Resort.
"These people are dangerous, and frankly, they are lunatics. They're crazy, and we can't let them get into office."
Despite Trump not mentioning specific names, the remarks were an apparent reference to Francesca Hong, a state representative from Madison and the frontrunner in the Democratic primary for governor.
The election is scheduled for next Tuesday.
Hong is the daughter of Korean immigrants and the first Asian American elected to the Wisconsin Legislature. She won her seat in 2020 and belongs to the Democratic Socialists of America.
In a now-deleted post from 2020, Hong wrote, "Cancel Thanksgiving. Should have done this in 1621."
Francesca Hong, a candidate running in the Democratic primary for the Wisconsin gubernatorial race, speaks during a campaign rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Aug. 2.GETTY/YONHAP
Hong had described Thanksgiving as a celebration of colonialism, and did not completely walk it back during a recent interview on CNN.
"I'm a chef, and one of the first meals that I made was for the community when I was 16; was a Thanksgiving meal," Hong said when asked by reporter and anchor Kaitlan Collins. "But Thanksgiving is also a time that's incredibly painful for many people in our communities."
Her campaign said afterward that she does not want the holiday canceled, and Hong told Politico on Wednesday that it is in fact her favorite.
Trump's remark is a continuation of his recent anticommunist rhetoric, referring to the ideology as "a mortal threat to American liberty" during a July 3 event at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.
"It is the greatest threat to our country, including World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor or even 9/11."
Democratic Socialists have won a run of primaries since New York elected Zohran Mamdani as mayor last year. Hong, who describes herself as a Democratic Socialist, leads the field by a wide margin ahead of Tuesday's primary.
BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
