White House Official Calls Coronavirus ‘Kung-Flu’ to Asian American Reporter’s Face

In a tweet posted this morning, Jiang revealed to her followers that a White House official reinforced the stereotype surrounding the coronavirus outbreak and the Asian community.

As Mediaite stated, Jiang is the reporter who outmaneuvered Trump into agreeing for coronavirus testing by asking if he was “selfish” for resisting the test.

The U.S. government has been criticized for it’s slow response to coronavirus testing and reporting, according to Business Insider. The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Robert Redfield has already reprehended the phrasing and discrimination against Chinese people saying, “it is ‘absolutely wrong and inappropriate’ to call COVID-19 the ‘Chinese coronavirus.'”

Many verified Twitter users, including media and political figures, hopped onto the thread to condemn the new phrase and demand the official be stripped of their position and named to the public.

 

#ChineseVirus is trending on Twitter due to Trump’s tweet the day before, calling it a “Chinese Virus.”

Much like how GOP House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy defended his use of the “Chinese coronavirus,” the slur continues to draw attention to the virus’ origin from Wuhan, China.

Feature Image via @weijia