Yesterday President Trump explained to reporters why he continues to call coronavirus the “Chinese Virus”.
Yet today ABC News reporter Cecilia Vega asks Trump the same exact question with condemnation dripping from her lips as she subtly accuses him of racism and putting Chinese people in harm’s way:
ABC's @CeciliaVega attacks Trump during presser, says "it's racist" to use the phrase "Chinese virus" pic.twitter.com/CsE6gkyQxZ
— Kyle Drennen (@kjdrennen) March 18, 2020
My first reaction was to yell at the TV and ask why she didn’t listen to what he said yesterday. He’s already answered the question and he basically gave her the same answer again today.
Then later in the same press conference PBS News Hour’s Yamiche Alcindor ask the same question a different way:
.@Yamiche: Is a White House official using "Kung-Flu" to talk about the coronavirus acceptable? Do you think your "Chinese Virus" rhetoric puts people at risk?
TRUMP: "Not at all. I think they probably would agree with it 100 percent." pic.twitter.com/EqPoVZaU8V
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 18, 2020
When asked by Trump who said it, Alcindor couldn’t name the person because she has no idea who actually said it. Thus you see how seriously Trump took her question.
What Alcindor is referring to is from a CBS reporter who claimed that someone at the White House referred to it as the ‘Kung-Flu’ in her presence:
This morning a White House official referred to #Coronavirus as the “Kung-Flu” to my face. Makes me wonder what they’re calling it behind my back.
— Weijia Jiang (@weijia) March 17, 2020