Socialist Francesca Hong struggles to explain call to 'Cancel Thanksgiving' as post resurfaces
Francesca Hong, the outspoken democratic socialist leading in the polls for the party’s nomination for Wisconsin governor, is making waves for comments she made about an annual American tradition during an interview with CNN on Monday.
While appearing on "The Source with Kaitlan Collins," Hong fielded questions from Collins regarding a previous social media post she made in which she suggested that Americans should cancel their celebrations of the Thanksgiving holiday.
"Do you still believe that Thanksgiving should be canceled?" Collins asked.
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"I’m a chef, and one of the first meals that I made that was for the community when I was 16 [years old] was a Thanksgiving meal," Hong said. "I always think my hospitality background in owning a restaurant for seven, eight years, that bringing folks around the table to share conversation and build community is always a good thing."
Hong, a 37-year-old state assemblywoman hailing from Madison, then seemed to double down on her condemnation of the annual American tradition.
"But Thanksgiving is also a time that’s incredibly painful for many people in our communities," Hong continued. "And so I think there, I wanted to make sure that people understood that there are multiple views, but views can evolve."
"And the position that I'm running for right now, and I think my background as a chef will actually help me become a better governor that's able to bring more people to the table," she concluded.
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The now-deleted post, which was initially made to X in November 2020, drew backlash after Hong appeared to draw comparisons between the deadly pandemic and the Thanksgiving holiday.
"Cancel Thanksgiving. Should have done this in 1621," Hong wrote, according to Fox News Digital’s previous reporting.
"If it takes a worldwide pandemic for us to realize we should stop celebrating colonialism and the original superspreader event that killed indigenous folx [sic] and women, so be it," she added, referring to the spread of smallpox that killed many indigenous Americans.
The term "folx" is reportedly used to signal inclusivity of LGBTQ+ and other marginalized groups.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Hong's campaign said, "No, she does not want to 'cancel' Thanksgiving."
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Hong's answer drew mockery from conservatives on X.
"[W]ord salad that would make Kamala [Harris] envious," Libs of TikTok wrote.
The post is not the only instance of Hong taking to social media to share her polarizing views. In a resurfaced 2019 post, Hong posted about being "on the verge of [an] anxiety attack" while dining at a popular fast food restaurant with her son.
Hong, who is endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America, is leading in the Democratic primary race ahead of next week's election.
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She has received the support of several progressives on the national stage, including Hasan Piker, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and shares similar policy positions with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Fox News Digital’s Leo Briceno contributed to this report.
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