Well, he didn’t use the standard “he has a black friend.”

VP Chief of Staff Marc Short disputes that Pres Trump’s intent was racist in his tweet Sunday urging “progressive Democrat Congresswomen” to go back to the places from which they came. Short notes that @POTUS has an Asian woman of color in his Cabinet, citing @SecElaineChao. pic.twitter.com/E4DjwlXxUZ

— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) July 15, 2019

Elaine Chao is there because she’s the wife of the majority leader, not because she’s Trump’s friend.