Trump campaign snubs event mobilizing Asian American voters

Image: APIAVote website

PHILADELPHIA – Hours before the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday, the APIAVote Presidential Town Hall – a voter engagement event for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) – took place in Philadelphia.

The Trump campaign had been invited to the event, but NBC10 Philadelphia reporter Frances Wang, who served as the town hall moderator, told the audience that no representatives from the campaign showed up, according to the Daily Pennsylvanian.

Just a few days earlier, APIAVote released survey results showing that President Joe Biden has kept his lead among AAPI voters despite the 8 percent drop in support from 2020, which is now at 46 percent.

APIAVote condemns violence

Meanwhile, APIAVote released a statement denouncing the assassination attempt on Trump, saying that “violence has no place in our political process and weapons of war have no place in our communities.”

“The Asian American and Pacific Islander community has long-spoken out against language and actions that threaten harm to anyone,” APIAVote Executive Director Christine Chen said.

“Last week, APIAVote joined leading Asian American organizations from around the country in Philadelphia to discuss how we can better engage as citizens to strengthen our democratic institutions,” Chen said.

“The meetings culminated in a Presidential Town Hall on Saturday, just hours before another tragic gun-related event in Butler, PA.”

Chen said she was thankful that Trump was not seriously harmed and extended condolences to the family of Corey Comperatore, the firefighter who was shot and killed during the attempted assassination of Trump.

Saying that many in the AAPI community came to the United States to escape political violence and oppression, Chen called on all Americans to make America “a country where no one fears for our lives or our loved ones.”

“We all deserve to live our lives, move through our communities, and engage in our political process peacefully – no matter whether we are running for office or running through a school hallway,” she said.

“During this difficult time for our country, we all need to re-commit ourselves to the politics of the possible, where we come together to discuss how we can improve our country for all Americans.”

The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) also denounced political violence.

“While principled disagreement has always been a hallmark of our politics, gun violence cannot be part of that,” NCAPA said in a statement. “In an era of increasing polarization, we are hurtling towards an inflection point, with our country’s stability in the balance.”

NCAPA called on political leaders “to de-escalate this violence together.”