Trump Defends Labeling Coronavirus the ‘Chinese Virus’: ‘It Comes from China’

President Trump on Wednesday defended himself from the allegations of racism and xenophobia that were leveled in response to his calling the Wuhan coronavirus the “Chinese virus,” telling reporters that “it comes from China” and that “it’s not racist at all” to use the label.

Trump used the term “Chinese virus” in a tweet Wednesday morning, and was asked about why he used the phrase by ABC reporter Cecilia Vega, who referenced “dozens of incidents of bias against Chinese Americans” since the outbreak.

“Because it comes from China,” Trump stated, adding that “it’s not racist at all, no, not at all.” “I don’t know if you’d say China’s to blame, certainly we didn’t get an early run on it, it would’ve been helpful if we knew about it earlier,” Trump said. “But it comes from China, and it’s not a question about that, nobody is questioning that.”

Spanish Flu. West Nile Virus. Zika. Ebola. All named for places.

Before the media’s fake outrage, even CNN called it “Chinese Coronavirus.”

Those trying to divide us must stop rooting for America to fail and give Americans real info they need to get through the crisis.

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 18, 2020

Earlier on Wednesday, Senator Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) called for a “full, international investigation” to get to the bottom of the Chinese Communist Party’s decisions that resulted in “a global pandemic.”

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