Representative Maxwell Frost (D-FL) accused Republicans, specifically Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN), of using racist language by labeling Vice President Kamala Harris as a “DEI hire.”
In an appearance on CNN, Frost stated that such comments are part of a broader campaign of racist and misogynistic rhetoric against Harris.
“He is going to continue to use all these racist dog whistles throughout the campaign. We’re going to see it from Trump. We’re going to see it from J.D. Vance. So we’re going to see it from a lot of their surrogates. In fact, just yesterday, one of the surrogates was saying if we don’t win, we’re going to have to have a civil war to get our agenda through– a civil war,” Frost said.
He added, “So this is an organization. This is a right-wing campaign that’s going to be racist, misogynistic against the vice president, but we’re going to stand on the issues. And what really matters is the fact that she is qualified. They want to call her a DEI president, a DEI candidate.”
He emphasized her qualifications, arguing that she has more experience than both Trump and J.D. Vance.
Frost urged listeners to associate the term “DEI” with racial slurs, asserting that Burchett’s rhetoric is racist, whether intended or not, and expressed hope that it would stop.
“She has more experience than Trump and J.D. Vance combined times a million. She, she won at the state level. She was the attorney general. She was Vice President of the United States. She was a senator representing one of the largest states in the entire country. And so these are just racist dog whistles. Whenever you hear DEI, I want you to think about the N-word. I want you to think about racial slurs. That’s what they actually mean,” Frost said.
CNN’s Jim Acosta asked, “Do you think Congressman Burchett is being a racist when he says that?”
Frost said, “I have a good relationship with the congressman. I think sometimes, though, he does use rhetoric that is racist. And whether people know it’s racist or not, I’m here to tell them that is racist. And I hope they won’t use that rhetoric anymore.”
