The chairwoman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus said Trump’s comments would not “be necessary if he and his supporters had not already endangered so many by spreading this toxic xenophobia.”
President Donald Trump tweeted Monday that people should look out for “our Asian American community.”
In the tweet, the president advised Americans to protect those of Asian descent “in the United States, and all around the world.” He posted the message hours after he once again referred to COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus,” a term he’s used multiple times that some experts say has led to hateful attacks on those of Asian descent.
“For weeks, President Trump has been told by reporters, members of Congress, health experts and members of his own administration not to use the term ‘Chinese virus.’ And when confronted publicly, he rejected expert opinions and repeatedly doubled down on the term, defending it as appropriate and one he said Asian Americans would welcome. But he was wrong,” Chu said.
Trump has drawn significant backlash for repeatedly using the term “Chinese virus” in social media messaging and during news conferences, with experts and the public saying it perpetuates the racist association between the illness and those of Asian descent. He defended his use of the language by claiming that it was “accurate.”
The official White House Twitter account backed him up, citing previous names of illnesses like “West Nile virus” as justification. However, many officials warned against identifying the virus by location or ethnicity, including Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who agreed at a House hearing this month that it was “absolutely wrong and inappropriate” to use labels like “Chinese coronavirus,” as the illness had expanded beyond China.
Other experts and officials, including Chu’s caucus, say use of the term has already resulted in a slew of attacks related to misinformation around the virus. In New York City, a 23-year-old woman was alleged to have been punched and hospitalized after another woman attacked her while invoking anti-Asian slurs. In a separate incident in California, an Asian teen was sent to the emergency room after he was bullied and assaulted because of coronavirus fears.
