President Donald Trump is calling for the protection of Asian Americans following the backlash he has received for referring to the coronavirus as the “Chinese virus.”
Trump took to Twitter on Monday night with a message about the treatment toward Asian Americans. He noted how important it is to protect them amid the coronavirus spread.
Trump even admitted that the outbreak is “not their fault.”
“It is very important that we totally protect our Asian American community in the United States, and all around the world,” Trump tweeted.
He continued, “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. WE WILL PREVAIL TOGETHER!”
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….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2020
….is NOT their fault in any way, shape, or form. They are working closely with us to get rid of it. WE WILL PREVAIL TOGETHER!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2020
Trump’s tweet follows an accelerated number of reported attacks on Asian Americans over the last few months.
On several occasions, Trump has referred to the coronavirus as the “Chinese virus.”
After he tweeted about his commitment to protecting Asian Americans, Twitter users responded, reminding him of his own reference suggesting Chinese people were largely the reason for the spread. But, as one user notes of Trump’s tweet, “I am thankful for it.”
Asian Americans are just as American as everyone else born in this country or naturalized here as a citizen. We want to fight this coronavirus alongside all Americans because we’re one nation and one people. We don’t deserve to be scapegoated and subjected to so many hate crimes.
— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) March 23, 2020
The coronavirus reportedly surfaced in a Wuhan, China, seafood and poultry market and it was confirmed that cases were being treated on Dec. 31, 2019. Days later, researchers identified the virus as COVID-19.
In January, it was also confirmed that the first person to develop coronavirus-like symptoms in the United States was a male in his 30s — in Washington state — who had just returned from Wuhan.
From there, the coronavirus continued to spread throughout the United States.
The initial reports led to Trump dubbing the outbreak as the “Chinese virus.” The president faced criticism for the term but he quickly defended his use of it, arguing that the virus comes from China, as reported on IJR.
“Because it comes from China, it’s not racist at all,” Trump previously said. “No, not at all. It comes from China, that’s why. It comes from China. I want to be accurate.”
At the time, he also tweeted, “I always treated the Chinese Virus very seriously, and have done a very good job from the beginning, including my very early decision to close the ‘borders’ from China — against the wishes of almost all.”
I always treated the Chinese Virus very seriously, and have done a very good job from the beginning, including my very early decision to close the “borders” from China – against the wishes of almost all. Many lives were saved. The Fake News new narrative is disgraceful & false!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2020
There were more than 2,200 confirmed cases in Washington state, as of Monday afternoon. Additionally, there were over 46,000 cases of coronavirus nationwide, as of Tuesday morning.