Donald Trump insisted that calling the coronavirus the ‘kung flu’ was neither wrong not racist at a press conference Wednesday.
The President’s defense of the term came after a reporter challenged Trump about a White House staffer who reportedly called Covid-19 the ‘kung flu’ while chatting to an Asian reporter. Trump himself has repeatedly branded it the ‘Chinese virus,’ despite widespread criticism.
‘I wonder who said that (kung flu)…I think they probably would agree with it 100%. It comes from China,’ Trump said.
And just moments earlier, the president insisted that calling the coronavirus the ‘Chinese virus’ was racist ‘at all.’
When asked about whether he considers his terminology offensive, Trump responded : ‘It’s not racist at all. It comes from China. It’s accurate.’
‘…As you know, China tried to say, at one point, that it was caused by American soldiers. That can’t happen, it’s not gonna happen as long as I’m president. It comes from China.’
Wednesday’s comment was the second time in two days Trump defended his use of the phrase ‘Chinese virus,’ which some fear may cause animosity and instances of racism against Asian Americans. The World Health Organization officially named the disease caused by coronavirus Covid-19 last month in a bid to avoid stigmatizing Chinese people.
President Trump is asked why he keeps calling coronavirus “Chinese virus,” even after documented bias incidents against Chinese-Americans
Trump: “Because it comes from China. It’s not racist at all. It comes from China, that’s why. I want to be accurate” https://t.co/yMZlZ5gV1w pic.twitter.com/kXceP1tzgD
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 18, 2020
However, Trump has remained firm in his decision to avoid calling the virus by its proper name and on Tuesday said: ‘China was putting out information, which was false, that our military gave this to them. That was false. And rather than having an argument, I said I had to call it where it came from. It did come from China. So I think it’s a very accurate term.’
After Trump’s initial statement, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shuang hit out at the president for his rhetoric.
‘Some US politicians have tried to stigmatize China … which China strongly condemns. We urge the US to stop this despicable practice. We are very angry and strongly oppose it,’ Shuang said.
The World Health Organization has also advised against terms linking the disease to China or the city of Wuhan – where it was initially detected – to avoid stigmatization or discrimination.
This racial tension has been mounting in the US as the pandemic worsens. In New York, a man assaulted a woman wearing a face mask and called her a ‘diseased bitch,’ according to CNN. Another man was filmed spraying a man down with Febreeze on a train.
The NYPD and the Hate Crime Task Force encourage the victim to report this incident to the police for a full investigation. https://t.co/4Qb4XHVj3Z
— NYPD Hate Crimes (@NYPDHateCrimes) February 5, 2020
A witness later said, ‘I believe that this incident has immense potential in opening up the discussion of Asian American-directed racial tension that has been caused by the (coronavirus).’
In Los Angeles, a reportedly loudly began screaming that Chinese people are filthy and ‘every disease ever came from China.’
Two Hmong travelers faced intense scrutiny when they tried to rent a motel room in Plymouth, Indiana by an employee who told them ‘If you’re from China, I need to know…And anyone from China, I am told, has to be picked up and quarantined for two weeks.’