Chao served in Trump’s administration but resigned shortly after the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. She was invited on CNN Thursday to discuss the mounting fallout surrounding Southwest Airlines’ mass flight delays and cancellations.

However, the conversation seemed to get tense after talk turned to Trump.

Chao, who was born in Taiwan, was asked if she’d like to “respond to this racist nickname” that Trump used to describe her in a new Truth Social post.

“Well, I think it’s very helpful if the media does not repeat that racist tweet,” she told CNN This Morning co-anchor Kaitlan Collins. “I mean, if there 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.

“He says all sorts of outrageous things, and I don’t make a point of answering any one of them.”

On Wednesday night, Trump lambasted Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Chao’s husband, in a post on Truth Social. He also referred to his former transportation secretary as “Coco Chow” and alleged that she and McConnell have “BIG relationships with China.”

This isn’t the first time that Trump has tried to disparage Chao on social media. He used the same term in a September 30 Truth Social post, also calling her McConnell’s “China loving wife.” In November, he chose the same wording in a post blasting McConnell for the Republicans’ lackluster performance during the midterm elections.

“He blew the Midterms, and everyone despises him and his otherwise lovely wife, Coco Chow!” Trump wrote at the time.

At another point during the CNN interview, Chao was asked about the final January 6 committee report released last week. She said she was the first member of Trump’s cabinet to resign following the Capitol riot.

“Is there’s anything you’d like to say about the takeaways from the report that what happened that day wouldn’t have gone down if the former president had not done what he did?” Collins asked.

Chao said: “I wish that the former president had acted differently.”

Newsweek reached out to Trump’s office for comment.

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