US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that he was becoming “more and more angry at China” over the spread of novel Coronavirus as American health officials warned they were not in “total” control of the pandemic.
“As I watch the Pandemic spread its ugly face all across the world, including the tremendous damage it has done to the USA, I become more and more angry at China,” Trump tweeted.
As of Wednesday morning, the US accounted for the world’s highest number of infections and fatalities with 2,629,372 and 127,322, respectively, according to the Johns Hopkins University.
Furthermore, the pandemic has created economic strain on the country and its management.
According to surveys, the pandemic has reduced Trump’s re-election possibilities.
A poll published on June 26 indicated that Trump’s approval ratings were at their worst level (40 per cent) following protests against police brutality in the US and amid a surge in coronavirus infections in the country.
A record 58 per cent of voters disapprove of the job Trump’s doing at the White House, according to a new survey conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion together with the National Public Radio and PBS NewsHour.
The global pandemic, which Trump blames on Beijing, has intensified already strong tensions between the two countries over an ongoing trade war.
Trump’s tweet came amid the escalated tension between Washington and Beijing since the last few months and also on the same day when China announced retaliation against the US after it announced revokation of Hong Kong’s special status.
Washington revoked Hong Kong’s special status amid the threat of the dual-use technologies falling into the hands of the Chinese Army.
Moreover, less than two weeks ago, Trump signed a legislation favour of the Uyghur rights which seeks sanctions against the Chinese officials alleged of torturing the group and other Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang province.
These measures come amid the continuous tensions between the two countries due to trade dispute and coronavirus crisis, for which Trump blamed China and even renamed the virus as “Chinese Virus,” and “Kung Flu”.
Meanwhile, top disease researcher Dr Anthony Fauci told the US Senate that he “would not be surprised” if new virus cases in the country reach 100,000 per day.
“Clearly we are not in control right now,” he testified, warning that not enough Americans are wearing masks or social distancing.
Dr Fauci also called on the US government to produce face masks to be distributed for free to all Americans, and condemned the “all or none phenomenon” of some people who have completely disregarded social distancing measures.
Meanwhile, Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden has accused President Donald Trump of having “surrendered” and “failed” the Americans in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“What happened? Now it’s almost July, and it seems like our wartime president (Donald Trump) has surrendered, waved the white flag and left the battlefield,” Biden said in an address in a high school in Wilmington, Delaware on Tuesday.
The former Vice President used the same metaphor that Trump himself used in March when he declared himself a wartime President in the fight against COVID-19.
Biden said that month after month many, like him, have urged Trump to “step up and do his job” but added that “he failed us”.
“We can’t continue half wearing masks and half rejecting science. We can’t continue half with a plan and half just hoping for the best,” he said.
In that regard, Biden lamented that the Trump administration has left the decision to reopen economies and other issues pertaining to the epidemic to state and local authorities.
In Biden’s opinion, there should be a clear message from the federal government that “everyone needs to wear a mask in public, period”.