Margaret Cho says anti-Asian violence has roots beyond Donald Trump: ‘His casual racism is a symptom of the greater problem’

Cho highlights ‘the repetitive nature of hate crimes’ in new podcast season

Margaret Cho says anti-Asian racism has roots beyond Donald Trump, with the former president’s rhetoric being “a symptom of the greater problem”.

“I love to Donald-Trump-bash and blame him for any reason I can, but the fact is that his casual racism is more a symptom of the greater problem than the cause of this,” Cho told the publication.

The comedian spoke toThe Guardian to mark the launch of the second season of her podcast, The Margaret Cho. This season, titled The Margaret Cho: Mortal Minority, will focus on “historical crimes that laid the groundwork for this recent onslaught of violence”, such as the 1871 massacre of 19 Chinese residents in Los Angeles.

She added: “It’s about the repetitive nature of hate crimes and how they’re not new, even if they seem new, because they’re presented as shocking and new by the news.”

The comedian also said she has feared for her personal safety, telling the publication: “I’m really scared. It’s kind of like: how do you escape your skin? I limit my time out and I think it’s awful to acknowledge that.”

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Anti-Asian violence has been on the rise in the US. According to preliminary data examined by the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, anti-Asian hate crimes increased by 145 per cent in 16 of America’s largest cities in 2020, with the first spike occurring at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

Six women of Asian heritage were killed last month during a shooting that left eight people dead in Atlanta, Georgia.