- Gov. Larry Hogan opened up about the discrimination his family endures in an interview on CNN Sunday.
- Hogan on "State of the Union" condemned violence against Asian Americans, which spiked 150% in 2020.
- His remarks come after Biden called the racist attacks "un-American" during his prime-time address Thursday.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Marland Gov. Larry Hogan praised President Joe Biden for speaking up against the recent spike in hate crimes against Asian Americans amid the coronavirus pandemic, which he called "a serious problem."
In an interview with CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday, Hogan, whose wife Yumi is a first-generation Korean-American, said he has felt the impact of racism against Asian Americans through his family and close friends.
"It really has been a serious problem," Hogan said. "My wife, my three daughters, my grandkids are all Asian. They've felt some discrimination personally, but they also have close friends – friends of my wife from church, some of my daughters' friends – who've really been treated pretty terribly."
Over the last year, Hogan said they've also experienced incidents including "people yelling about the 'China virus' even though they're from Korea and born in America."
The governor pointed to data from America's biggest cities from 2020 that while hate crimes overall decreased by 7%, show crimes against Asian Americans increased 150%.
"It's something we have to get under control, and I wish more people would be speaking out," Hogan said.
-State of the Union (@CNNSotu) March 14, 2021
During a prime-time address to the country on the first anniversary of COVID-19 on Thursday, Biden denounced the racist attacks towards Asian Americans.
"At this very moment, so many of them - our fellow Americans on the front lines of this pandemic trying to save lives - and still, still they are forced to live in fear for their lives just walking down streets in America," Biden said. "It's wrong, it's un-American, and it must stop."
In the interview, Hogan said that he "appreciates" Biden for shedding light on the issue, doubling down on his tweet from last week in which he praised the president's comments alongside a photo of his family.
-Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) March 12, 2021