US President Donald Trump has again targeted China for over the Covid-19 pandemic that has now killed over 9.69 lakh people across countries, with US suffering the highest toll. Trump has said it should be called “China virus” instead of coronavirus, which sounds like a “beautiful place in Italy”.
Donald Trump has hit out at China for not stopping the coronavirus pandemic and urged his supporters not to call it coronavirus, saying the name sounds like a "beautiful place" in Italy.
The United States now has over 68 lakh coronavirus cases with a death toll that has crossed the 2 lakh-mark. Globally, total coronavirus cases have crossed the 3 crore-mark with nearly 10 lakh people dead so far.
Describing the November 3 election as a "matter of economic survival", Trump said that the country was doing great on economic front before the plague was unleashed on the United States, and blamed China for it.
"You had the greatest year you have ever had last year, and you were really on your way - we were very, very sadly disturbed by what happened with China. They let the plague out. They shouldn't have done it," he said. "We built the greatest economy in the history of the world. And right now we're doing it again,” he asserted, amidst an applause from his supporters.
"It's the China virus. It's not the coronavirus. Corona sounds like a place in Italy, a beautiful place. It's corona? No. It's the China virus. They don't want to say it. You know, the radical left, they don't want to say it," Trump said.
"It's the China virus. It's not the coronavirus. Corona sounds like a place in Italy, a beautiful place. It's corona? No. It's the China virus. They don't want to say it. You know, the radical left, they don't want to say it," Trump said.
The US President has called the novel coronavirus as China’s virus before as well.
In his speech on the eve of the Republican National Convention in August, Trump said: "I am pleased to make a truly historic announcement in our battle against the China virus that will save countless lives".
In March, he had said that China is responsible for the spread of the novel coronavirus and called the COVID-19 as the "Chinese virus". "But coronavirus, doesn't it sound like Italy, a beautiful villa, you have a beautiful corona. No, it's the China virus. They should have stopped it," he said.
To fight the virus, Trump said that his administration had launched the largest national mobilisation since World War II.