CMA President Peter N. Bretan, Jr., M.D., issued a joint statement today with Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Oakland) in response to President Trump’s racist remarks at this weekend’s political rally:

“President Trump’s racist dog whistle remarks have no place in our politics or in the house of medicine. Comments like those made by the president last weekend at a political rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma fuel racist stereotypes about COVID-19 that have harmful impacts in our communities and in the practice of medicine. These remarks promote hatred toward the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) community.

“Asian Americans have been at the forefront of providing quality health care to all Californians. While Californians of Asian descent make up 14%of our state’s population, we comprise 28%of the state’s physicians. The president’s racist rhetoric that he casually uses as an applause line is a direct threat and attack on California physicians, our API population and all people who believe in inclusivity, fairness and common decency.

“Over the last several months, we have seen an increase in discrimination and racist attacks against Asian American communities related to COVID-19.

We must all do our part to publicly denounce these discriminatory acts and to address heightened xenophobia during this public health emergency.

“Millions of Americans have all spent time in recent weeks reflecting on our nation’s ongoing history of racial injustice and intolerance, and how these wounds have perpetuated institutional and systemic racism in subtle and overt ways. Our nation has its own anti-API history, from the Chinese Exclusion Act in the late 1800s through the internment of Japanese American families during World War II. We must all do better when it comes to acknowledging and reckoning with our history. Part of our civic duty requires that we clearly speak out against prejudice and hatred, whether it comes from the house next door or the White House."