US President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended calling the coronavirus spreading rapidly across the world the “Chinese Virus” and said that he is pushing back against the false narrative of China that the US military did this.
During a press briefing at the White House, Trump said,“Well, China was putting out information which was false that our military did 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. I didn’t appreciate the fact that China was saying that our military gave it to them. Our military did not give it to anybody,” the US president further added.
He said, “Rather than having an argument, I said I have to call it where it came from; it did come from China. So, I think it’s a very accurate term.”
COVID-19 originated in Wuhan in China.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had accused China of impeding world efforts to fight the coronavirus through censorship.
According to the report, a hundred people have died from the deadly virus in the United States on Tuesday.
The greatest number is in Washington state, in the country’s northwest, where there were 50 deaths, followed by New York with 12 and California where there were 11.
In a tweet, Speaker Nancy Pelosi had accused House of Representatives Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of being “bigoted” and “spreading misinformation” because he had called COVID-19 “Chinese coronavirus”.
The death toll due to the COVID-19 outbreak in China has increased to 3,237, authorities said on Wednesday, while the number of confirmed cases in the Asian country has risen to 80,894.
The overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 80,894 until midnight, including 8,056 patients who were still being treated, 69,601 patients who had been discharged after recovery, and 3,237 people who lost their lives.
Last week, Trump has announced a suspension of all travel from most European countries for at least 30 days in an attempt to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
The ban excludes US citizens in Europe and travelers from the United Kingdom, and it also excludes cargo.