GOP Rep. Mia Love rebukes Trump in concession speech
Rebuking President Trump and his style of governance, Utah Rep. Mia Love — the GOP's sole African-American woman in Congress — conceded her hotly-contest race to Democrat Ben McAdams.
In her concession speech on Monday, Love, a two-term Republican representing the Salt Lake City suburbs and other communities in central Utah, denounced the commander-in-chief's "world view" as one with "no real relationships, just convenient transactions."
Earlier this month, in a remarkable post-Election Day news conference, Mr. Trump listed several moderate GOP incumbents, including Love, who appeared to have lost reelection. He touted their defeats as evidence that Republicans wanted lawmakers who would be in lockstep with the White House.
"Mia Love gave me no love and she lost" the president said, adding "too bad. Sorry about that Mia."
"That is an insufficient way to implement sincere service in policy," Love said on Monday, referring to the president's jab.
In her second term in Congress, Love routinely distanced her from the Oval Office and sometimes directly criticized the president and his rhetoric. When Mr. Trump reportedly referred to El Salvador, Haiti and some African nations as "sh--hole" countries," Love, whose family is from Haiti, called on the president to apologize and said his disparaging comments were "unkind, divisive, elitist, and fly in the face of our nation's values."
The African-American Republican stressed that the president's attack, as well as the results of the midterm election, "shine a spotlight on the problems Washington politicians have with minorities." Love noted that the diverse freshman class that Democrats will have in the 116th Congress is a prime illustration of the GOP's lackluster efforts to make significant inroads in communities of color.
Still, Love said minorities should think about the "cost" of continuing to align with the Democratic Party, instead of embracing conservative polices that she believes help lift people out of poverty.
Asked if she would run again in 2020, Love said she didn't know. "We'll see," she added.
Love also stressed that her defeat will allow her to be more outspoken.
"Good news is I'm not going away but now I am unleashed. I am untethered. And I am unshackled. And I can say exactly what is on my mind," she said.
