Lawmakers condemn Trump's use of racist terms describing COVID-19

NBC

ddDonald Trump defends his use of "China virus."

An official White House document's title has angered a group of Congressmembers who decry the use of racist language when naming the coronavirus.d

“We are appalled by the gross misuse of official White House communications to stoke xenophobia at a time when Asian Americans are experiencing an alarming spike in anti-Asian bigotry related to the coronavirus pandemic," said members of the Caucus of Asian Pacific Americans of Congress over a document titled “How President Trump Uses the Defense Production Act to Protect Americans from the China Virus.” 

"Although we are not surprised by Donald Trump’s racist rhetoric, the fact that he is now using official White House documents containing the presidential seal to codify racism and discrimination is reprehensible," said an Aug. 20 statement by CAPAC leaders composed of Chair Judy Chu (CA-27), First Vice Chair Grace Meng (NY-06), Second Vice Chair Mark Takano (CA-41) and Whip Ted Lieu (CA-33) 

CAPAC members have repeatedly denounced Trump’s use of the terms “China Virus,” “Chinese Virus,” “Wuhan Virus,” “China Plague,” and “Kung Flu” due to the stigma they cause, which has already resulted in more than 2,500 anti-Asian hate crimes and incidents in recent months. 

“The official name of the virus that causes COVID-19 is SARS-CoV-2, or more simply, the coronavirus. This is the term that any official document coming from the White House and federal agencies should use, and it is outrageous that the Trump administration has intentionally chosen to use offensive terminology instead," the statement continued.

When Trump began acknowledging the coronavirus last winter, he consistently used the offensive terms to reference the virus even though the World Health Organization and the CDC warned against the usage of any geographic reference in naming the virus out of concern it might stigmatize a group of people.

After complaints about the offensive rhetoric from AAPI civil rights organizations, Trump appeared to step back on the terms in March when he tweeted out:

"It is very important that we totally protect our Asian American community in the United States, and all around the world. They are amazing people, and the spreading of the Virus ... is NOT their fault in any way, shape, or form. They are working closely with us to get rid of it."

That apparent concern lasted about a month. This summer, he appears to have doubled down and continues to use the offensive terms.

“Stoking xenophobia and stigma against Asian Americans – who have already experienced more than 2,500 hate crimes and incidents in recent months – does nothing to keep Americans healthy or to save lives. Instead, it promotes stigma and spreads misinformation that puts innocent lives in danger and ultimately makes is harder to contain the virus," concluded the letter from the Asian American members of Congress.