Welsh First Minister States Belief Trump Is Not Racist

Wales’ first minister has stated her view that Donald Trump, the incoming US president, is not racist. During a BBC radio phone-in, Labour’s Eluned Morgan remarked: “There were a hell of a lot of black people and Latinos who voted for him in the election.” Her comments stand in contrast to those of Labour London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who, in a May interview, labeled Trump “racist”, “sexist” and a “homophobe” and urged his party to “call him out”. Speaking on Radio 5 Live on Thursday, Morgan affirmed that the UK must “keep as good a relationship with the United States as we can”. UK Labour Foreign Secretary David Lammy previously referred to Trump as a “neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath” in 2018 when he was a backbench MP, but has since dismissed those remarks as “old news”, asserting his ability to find “common ground” with the president-elect. During Thursday morning’s phone-in, presenter Nicky Campbell inquired if Trump was a racist. Morgan replied: “I shouldn’t think he is, to be honest.” She added: “There were a hell of a lot of black people and Latinos who voted for him in the election.” The first minister further emphasized the need to respect the American vote: “We need a strong relationship with the United States irrespective of who leads the country.” She noted: “It’s our biggest area in terms of inward investment.” However, she expressed apprehension regarding the potential for additional tariffs. She warned: “It will hit our economy.” Throughout his election campaign, Trump had pledged to implement a 20% tariff on all imports into the United States and a 60% tariff on Chinese imports. In the same Thursday programme, which marked Morgan’s initial 100 days leading the Welsh government, the first minister also advised farmers to “calm down a bit” concerning proposed changes to inheritance tax. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Information regarding our approach to external linking is available.