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On Tuesday the 16th of March, Donald Trump posted a tweet, pledging to support the aviation industry in the wake of "the Chinese Virus".
The president's rhetoric angered many, through his association of coronavirus with one particular group of people.
The World Health Organization has previously pled for people to be careful when discussing the virus, explaining that "words & language can perpetuate negative stereotypes or assumptions, strengthen false associations between #COVID19 & other factors, create widespread fear, or dehumanise those who have the disease".
On the same day as the above tweet was posted, CBS News correspondent Weijia Jiang tweeted:“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."
The next morning, Donald Trump posted another tweet, maintaing that he has "always treated the Chinese Virus very seriously, and [has] done a very good job from the beginning".
In Wednesday's press briefing update, one reporter asked why Trump had chosen to describe COVID-19 as "the Chinese Virus". The president responded, "China was putting out information, which was false, that our military gave this to them, that was false,” explaining "It did come from China, so I think it’s a very accurate term.”
When questioned about the use of the term "Kung-Flu", Trump remained adamant that Asian-Americans "would agree with [the use of] it 100 percent", due to the fact the virus originated in China.
Trump later attempted to justify the naming of "the Chinese Virus" in a tweet from the White House Account:
However, Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO's emergencies programme, was appalled by Trump's choice of language, arguing that “Viruses know no borders and they don’t care about your ethnicity, the color of your skin or how much money you have in the bank. So it’s really important we be careful in the language we use lest it lead to the profiling of individuals associated with the virus,”
Since the spread of the novel coronavirus, racism has become heightened worldwide. In February 2020, staff at Melbourne were victims of discrimination, as one mother requested a doctor of a different race for her child. The mother's basis for the appeal was that she believed the doctor could transfer coronavirus to the patient. Other stuff reported overhearing "racial slurs and comments" in the hospital, while some witnessed deliberate avoidance of those of Asian appearance.
One Chinese student at the University of Manchester, UK described the harassment they received while wearing a face mask in public. The 24-year-old recounted how a driver in their car slowed down, seemingly to allow them and their friend cross the road, but rather sneezed towards the pair, laughing, before driving off. Sadly, the post-graduate explained that such experiences were common among other Chinese students.
Another story from the UK includes an attack on staff at a Chinese restaurant. Sharon So, described how a group of boys spat at her father, demanding to know if he had the coronavirus. So identified one of the perpetrators as a regular customer, and explained that business has dropped by more than half sinice February. The family is now "monitoring" the father, concerned that there is a risk of infection after the spitting.
In New York, one Asian subway passenger was yelled at by another rider, who demanded he move away from him. The attacker was angry about the proximity to which the other man was standing to him, and proceeded to spray him with Febreze. The NY retweeted the video, offering advice to its followers:
NBA Player Jeremy Lin played basketball for the Toronto Raptors; last year becoming the first Asian-American player to be part of a title-winning NBA team. Lin accused the president of "empowering" racism, proceeding to describe how "every day Asian-Americans, including those [he knows], are threatened and physically attacked".