Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson declared Wednesday that President Trump is “not a racist” and neither are his controversial comments about four minority Democrats.

“I have an advantage of knowing the president very well, and he’s not a racist,” Mr. Carson told Fox News, The Hill reported. “His comments are not racist, but he loves the country very much. And he has a feeling that those who represent the country should love it as well.”

Mr. Trump sparked a firestorm this week for attacking the group of leftist freshmen congresswomen dubbed “The Squad,” which includes Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, who are all congresswomen of color.

Mr. Trump said the congresswomen who so “loudly and viciously” criticize the U.S. should “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came,” even though only one of the women was born out of the U.S. and is a naturalized citizen. The comment has been widely criticized as racist, but the president has doubled and tripled down, calling the women “socialists” who “hate our country.”

Mr. Carson argued Wednesday that the president’s record on minority unemployment and efforts to “elevate those who are vulnerable,” like bringing down barriers to affordable housing, should speak louder than his rhetoric.

“I think you can see what the president means by looking at his accomplishments,” Mr. Carson said. “Look at his policies. Under this president you see the rising tide lifting all boats. You see low unemployment — record low — for blacks, for Hispanics, for all the demographics of our nation.

“When you have somebody spending this much time and this much effort trying to elevate those who are vulnerable and who are suffering in our society, I think we should pay a lot more attention to what they are doing than what anybody is saying,” he added.

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