Top White House aide Kellyanne Conway distanced herself from President Trump’s use of the racially-charged term “kung flu,” which he used in remarks in Phoenix, Arizona, on Tuesday and at a rally on Saturday in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Trump teased various names for the virus at the event, prompting shouts of “kung flu,” which the president then repeated.
“We don’t always agree on everything, and that’s why I work here,” said Conway speaking to reporters outside the White House on Wednesday. In March, Conway called the term “wrong,” “very offensive, and “very hurtful” after a White House staffer was alleged to have used it.
Conway explained that Trump surrounds himself with people whose views and backgrounds differ from his own. “That’s the mark of a very strong leader, doesn’t worry about having a bunch of yes men,” she said.
Trump used the term to remind people of the virus’s origin, she added. “While the president is saying it, he’s also saying this virus came from China. China is responsible.
“He said it’s called many different things. It’s called the Wuhan virus, the Chinese virus, and then he used another term,” Conway said.
Conway said that Americans’ views on China have shifted since the pandemic began.
“Roughly, the number of Americans who regard China as a, quote, adversary, has jumped in the polls from 11% to 31%,” Conway said.
On Monday, after Trump used the phrase in Tulsa, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Trump did not use a racist term. “What President Trump is saying, ‘No China. I will label this virus for its place of origin,'” she said.
