Hogan: Rise in attacks on Asian Americans is ‘unacceptable’

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said on Sunday that the rise in attack against Asian Americans is “unacceptable,” praising President Biden for addressing the issue during his recent primetime address.

Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Hogan was asked by host Jake Tapper what his own family’s experience has been during the pandemic. 

“It really has been a serious problem. My wife, my three daughters, my grandkids, all Asian, and … they’ve felt some discrimination personally,” Hogan said. 

“Friends of mine, my wife’s from church, some of my daughter’s friends who’ve really been treated pretty terribly … The hate crimes in general last year were down 7 percent But it was up 150 percent in the Asian community and it’s outrageous. It’s unacceptable,” Hogan added. “I think it was great that President Biden brought this up. It’s something that I’ve been focused on. We feel it personally.”

“I wish more people would be speaking out.”

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan says he appreciates Pres. Biden speaking out against a wave of racist attacks on Asian Americans, especially since his own family has felt “some discrimination.” Hogan’s wife is Korean American. #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/fFDRGdL06w

— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) March 14, 2021

Hogan said his stepdaughter is at times afraid to visit home due to the discrimination she may face.

Biden during his prime-time address on Thursday marking the one-year anniversary of coronavirus restrictions condemned “vicious hate crimes” against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.

“It’s wrong. It’s un-American. And it must stop,” Biden said.

During the same interview on Sunday, Hogan addressed his recent decision to lift coronavirus restrictions on businesses, saying he took a “balanced approach” to handling the pandemic.

“We didn’t lift the restrictions. We did raise capacity limits, but we kept the most serious mitigation measures in place which is masking and distancing, which many states have changed,” Hogan said. “I think we took a kind of a balanced approach that tried to continue to keep people safe but also try to get some folks back to work and help support some of our small businesses.”