Trump Says Asian Americans Not To Blame For Coronavirus
President Donald Trump ― who adamantly defended labeling the new coronavirus the “Chinese virus” last week ― is asking for protection for Asian Americans, saying they are not to be blamed for the pandemic.
During a press briefing Monday evening, the president said that the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, was not the fault of the Asian American community in “any way, shape, or form.”
In light of a spike in reports of violence and discrimination against Asian people in America and abroad, the president highlighted the importance of protecting the Asian American community in the U.S. and globally.
It is very important that we totally protect our Asian American community in the United States, and all around the world. They are amazing people, and the spreading of the Virus....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2020
....is NOT their fault in any way, shape, or form. They are working closely with us to get rid of it. WE WILL PREVAIL TOGETHER!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2020
Asked what prompted the comments, Trump acknowledged the group could be facing prejudice.
“It seems that there could be a little bit of nasty language toward the Asian Americans in our country, and I don’t like that at all,” he said.
Just last week, the president had rejected criticism of his use of the term “Chinese virus,” which experts said created needless stigmatization and xenophobia against Asian communities. He made no mention of the term Monday.
Even after being confronted about the terminology last week, he repeated the label and was backed up by the White House twitter account, which defended the term as no different than previous infectious diseases that were named after their place of origin, such as West Nile virus or Ebola.
Officials, including Dr. Mike Ryan, the executive director of the World Health Organization’s emergency program, said the term should not be used. WHO had revised its naming conventions in 2015 to avoid names of places in order to minimize adverse and unnecessary effects on nations, economies and people.
Other experts, including John Yang, the president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAAJ), explained that the rhetoric exacerbated what had already been an increase in violence and hate faced by Asian people in relation to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Following Trump’s comments and tweets, many social media users noted the need for protection could have been mitigated by heeding the advice of experts and avoiding the use of racist language.
Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) called on the president to stop using the term.
Thank you President Trump for this important reminder.
But it wouldn't be necessary if you hadn't repeatedly rejected the advice of experts who said your use of "Chinese virus" was inciting violence & prejudice. If you want to protect Asian Americans, stop using the term https://t.co/pz55fiqB60— Judy Chu (@RepJudyChu) March 23, 2020
Yang, head of AAAJ, said that the messaging now was appreciated but highlighted the president’s continued defense of the label last week despite advice that it led to violence.
In the 6 days since @realDonaldTrump doubled down on "Chinese virus" even though WH reporters directly told him that such terms led to hate crimes, how many Asian Americans have been physically or verbally assaulted? This should not have been this hard. But it is appreciated. https://t.co/LKNKfvQOTG
— John C. Yang (@johncyangdc) March 23, 2020
Others called on Trump to acknowledge the harm he caused.
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BREAKING: Man who put Asians in danger on a daily basis with racist tropes lectures about the dangers of using racist tropes.
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) March 23, 2020
I don’t know what made Trump turn around and make this very good and nice tweet defending Asian Americans after his repeated use of the term “Chinese Virus,” but I am thankful for it. My only hope is that his sentiment lasts longer than a few days or a few tweets.
— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) March 23, 2020
Asian Americans are just as American as everyone else born in this country or naturalized here as a citizen. We want to fight this coronavirus alongside all Americans because we’re one nation and one people. We don’t deserve to be scapegoated and subjected to so many hate crimes.
— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) March 23, 2020
One way to protect the Asian American community is to stop calling it the "Chinese virus" https://t.co/csNx2eJNlX
— Scott Wong (@scottwongDC) March 23, 2020
For the first time, Trump acknowledges Asian Americans are being blamed for the spread of #coronavirus. But he has not acknowledged how his use of the phrase “Chinese Virus” plays a role. https://t.co/CmmZXeZ8eZ
— Weijia Jiang (@weijia) March 23, 2020
Maybe would be good if you opened with this before making statements that vilify a race of minorities in the country you are President of? https://t.co/VaeFSqNBud
— Ronny Chieng (@ronnychieng) March 23, 2020
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.