Trump Says China Could’ve ‘Stopped’ Virus Now Roiling U.S.
- President expands criticism of Beijing’s outbreak response
- Blame game escalates as pandemic pushed globe into recession
Donald Trump speaks in White House on March 19.
Photographer: Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
President Donald Trump complained that the coronavirus outbreak “could have been stopped” in China, further escalating his dispute with Beijing as criticism mounts over his own effort to stem the disease’s expansion across the U.S.
Trump aired his assessment -- a stark shift from his praise of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s response last month -- at a news conference Thursday to discuss national outbreak-control efforts. The president again characterized the pathogen that causes Covid-19 as a “Chinese virus,” with the term “corona” crossed out with a marker in his prepared remarks and replaced with “Chinese.”