President Trump brushed aside a suggestion from a reporter that him referring to the COVID-19 virus as the “Chinese virus” is racist.
“It’s not racist,” Trump said during a press conference Wednesday. “It comes from China. I want to be accurate.”
Trump opened the news conference saying he was “seeing some important developments in our war against the Chinese virus.”
Trump previously angered Chinese officials after referring to the virus that originated in Wuhan, China, and has sickened thousands of Americans, killing over 100, as “Chinese.”
“We urge the US to correct its mistake and stop its groundless accusations against China,” Geng Shuang, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield has said it is wrong to use the term “Chinese virus.”
“I have a great love for all the people from our country, but as you know, China tried to say at one point that — maybe they’ve stopped now — that it was caused by American soldiers,” Trump said. “That can’t happen. It’s not going to happen. Not as long as I’m president.”
