Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is helped off the stage at a campaign event in Butler, Pa., on Saturday, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Former Gov. Gary Locke has condemned the New York Post for publishing a story that incorrectly cited a Chinese man as responsible for the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
Gary Locke
Locke was the first Chinese American governor in the continental U.S., and he is the current chair of the Committee of 100—a non-profit organization of prominent Chinese Americans.
In a letter to the editor of the New York Post, Locke criticized the paper’s report for perpetuating harmful stereotypes and fueling anti-Asian sentiment.
“In this current era of heightened anti-Asian hate, Chinese Americans and the Asian American community are already looking over their shoulders on a daily basis,” Locke, who also served as the U.S. Ambassador to China under the Obama administration wrote.
“For years, political rhetoric has called Covid ‘the China Virus’ or ‘Kung Flu’—blaming Chinese Americans for the pandemic. Violence and hatred against the AAPI population continues to be a problem in our country. By irresponsibly reporting false information—that the alleged gunman was Chinese—your reporters have caused the Chinese American community additional harm.”
The New York Post has since issued a retraction and apology.
In an editor’s note, it stated: In a version of this article on July 13, the Post erroneously reported that the shooter was a Chinese man, based on wrong information we obtained from sources. We quickly corrected the mistake. We sincerely apologize for the error.