While this week brought with it a slew of ill-advised, racist comments by Trump, a former Obama aide named Gary Lee tweeted for the very first time and instantly went viral (see below).
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Lee, a Korean-American who worked in the White House for the Obama administration, recounts a moving encounter that he had with the 44th President of the United States, drawing a massive distinction between the current occupant of the White House and his predecessor.
Lee’s anecdote comes amid the tumultuous aftermath of this week’s PR disasters for the President. Per Vox, during a briefing on the impending release of a family being held in Pakistan, Trump opted to ask the career intelligence analyst, who was born in New York but of Korean descent, where she was from. He then proceeded to ask his advisers why the “pretty Korean lady” wasn’t negotiating with North Korea.
This was, of course, not Trump’s only bigoted blunder. During an Oval Office meeting in which lawmakers suggested restoring protections for immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador, and Africa, Trump lashed out at the prospect of enacting legislation for those who come from “shithole countries.”
“Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” Trump said while in a meeting with Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Durbin (D-IL), as well as those with hardline immigration stances, including Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), among others.
Trump’s glaring racism – while always present – is now drawing scorn from both within the United States and the international community.
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Lee’s story, then, is not only heartwarming, but a testament to just how compassionate, open-minded, and respectful the Obama White House operated—and just how much our executive branch has fallen under Trump.
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1. I’ve never tweeted before but today felt like a good day to start.
— Gary Lee (@whoisgarylee) January 13, 2018
2. President Trump made a lot of upsetting remarks this week including this one. “Where are you from?” is a question that many Asian Americans dread. https://t.co/D7ue8db1Vb pic.twitter.com/rwgrx7OQrb
— Gary Lee (@whoisgarylee) January 13, 2018
3. This struck a chord with me not only bc I’m Korean-American, but also bc I worked at the White House, for President Obama. I left the WH in 2011 for a Fulbright scholarship in Korea. President Obama knew I was leaving to learn more about the culture and language of my parents.
— Gary Lee (@whoisgarylee) January 13, 2018
4. On my last day, I went into the Oval Office and POTUS greeted me by saying, "안녕하세요". Hello, in Korean. I’m lucky bc @PeteSouza captured that exact moment. pic.twitter.com/sKl5ie0DLM
— Gary Lee (@whoisgarylee) January 13, 2018
5. For as long as I can remember, I wanted to work in public service. It was a lifelong dream to be in government. But I didn't know anyone in politics.
— Gary Lee (@whoisgarylee) January 13, 2018
6. In early 2007, my senior year of college, I mailed my resume and a cover letter in a manila envelope to the Obama for America headquarters in Chicago. Two weeks before graduation, I received a phone call that a correspondence volunteer had found my letter in a mail pile.
— Gary Lee (@whoisgarylee) January 13, 2018
7. She gave my letter to her boss, who then called and asked if I wanted to move to Chicago to work on the campaign. That's how I got hired on the campaign. That's how I ended up at the White House. That's how I got to work for President Barack Obama.
— Gary Lee (@whoisgarylee) January 13, 2018
8. After my departure photo with POTUS, I left the Oval Office in a daze and ran into @kalpenn in the West Wing lobby. I recounted the interaction with the president and he started tearing up. "Why are you crying?" I asked.
— Gary Lee (@whoisgarylee) January 13, 2018
9. He replied, "think about what you just said. How incredible that is. On your last day of work at the White House, after your years of service, the first African-American president greeted you in your parents' native language." I started crying too.
— Gary Lee (@whoisgarylee) January 13, 2018
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10. My parents could never have fathomed such an idea. My mom came to the US when she was 18, my father when he was 26. They worked multiple full-time and part-time jobs, opened a small business, and at one point, had only $20 in their checking account.
— Gary Lee (@whoisgarylee) January 13, 2018
12. In what other country is that even possible? In what other country are you allowed to dream, and despite all odds, pursue and achieve your dreams? In what country could a chubby, 90s Hip Hop and R&B-loving Asian kid from NM end up working for @BarackObama?
— Gary Lee (@whoisgarylee) January 13, 2018
14. Happy Korean-American Day and MLK weekend. As Dr. King said, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." -end-
— Gary Lee (@whoisgarylee) January 13, 2018
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