Asian-American CBS reporter claims White House official referred to coronavirus as ‘Kung Flu’

A reporter for CBS News has claimed that a White House official referred to coronavirus as the ‘Kung Flu’ right to her face.  

Weijia Jiang, who was born in China and raised in West Virginia, shared the unsettling encounter on Twitter Tuesday morning, hours after President Donald Trump came under fire for repeatedly calling COVID-19  the ‘Chinese Virus’.

‘This morning a White House official referred to #Coronavirus as the “Kung-Flu” to my face. Makes me wonder what they’re calling it behind my back,’ Jiang tweeted.  

Dozens of social media users expressed outrage over the comment, charging that Trump is responsible for racist rhetoric surrounding coronavirus.

Weijia Jiang, a correspondent for CBS News, claims that a White House official referred to coronavirus as the ‘Kung Flu’ right to her face on Tuesday morning

Jiang, who was born in China and raised in West Virginia, shared the unsettling encounter on Twitter Tuesday morning, hours after President Donald Trump came under fire for repeatedly calling COVID-19 the 'Chinese Virus'

Jiang, who was born in China and raised in West Virginia, shared the unsettling encounter on Twitter Tuesday morning, hours after President Donald Trump came under fire for repeatedly calling COVID-19 the ‘Chinese Virus’

‘I am so sorry that you have to suffer from this kind of horrible racism when you are simply doing your job,’ NBC legal contributor Katie Phang wrote in response to Jiang’s tweet. 

‘Clearly, Trump has set the tone for this kind of crap.’ 

MSNBC host Joy Reid tweeted: ‘This is hideous. And it’s why it’s impossible to take this administration seriously or have any confidence whatsoever in them.’

Director and activist Ava DuVernay also chimed in, writing: ‘I’m sorry you have to deal with their nastiness. Thanks for your reporting. Their sophomoric attempts to rename and deflect responsibility for a lack of preparation/effective response won’t work if we don’t let it.’ 

Bernice King, a famed American minister and the youngest daughter of Martin Luther King Jr, commented: ‘Racism is petty. It seeks to cultivate bigotry and prejudice and exert power even in times when human beings most need each other.

‘”Kung-Flu”, “China Virus” – This rhetoric isn’t harmless, especially with hate crimes against our Asian global family members already on the rise.’

Dozens of social media users expressed outrage over the comment, charging that Trump is responsible for racist rhetoric surrounding coronavirus within his administration

Dozens of social media users expressed outrage over the comment, charging that Trump is responsible for racist rhetoric surrounding coronavirus within his administration

Federal officials and others have sought to reduce racist stigma surrounding COVID-19 by warning against referring to the strain in a way that links it with China, where the outbreak began in December.  

Several critics called for Jiang to reveal the name of the official who made the comment, but she has refused to do so.

The White House has not returned requests for comment about her accusations. 

Jiang was credited with pressuring Trump into agreeing to get tested for coronavirus last week after she asked if he was being ‘selfish’ by refusing to do so even after he came in contact with at least three people who later tested positive.   

Jiang has been credited with pressuring Trump into agreeing to get tested for coronavirus. During a press conference on Friday (pictured), Jiang asked Trump if he was being 'selfish' by refusing to get tested even after he came in contact with at least three people who later tested positive. The next morning Trump revealed that he had taken a test that came back negative

Jiang has been credited with pressuring Trump into agreeing to get tested for coronavirus. During a press conference on Friday (pictured), Jiang asked Trump if he was being ‘selfish’ by refusing to get tested even after he came in contact with at least three people who later tested positive. The next morning Trump revealed that he had taken a test that came back negative

The novel coronavirus outbreak originated in Wuhan, China (pictured) in late December and has since spread to over 100 countries

The novel coronavirus outbreak originated in Wuhan, China (pictured) in late December and has since spread to over 100 countries

As of midday Tuesday more than 5,200 coronavirus have been confirmed in the US and 94 people have died

As of midday Tuesday more than 5,200 coronavirus have been confirmed in the US and 94 people have died

Trump, facing fierce criticism over his handling of the pandemic, and his allies have sought to cast the coronavirus as a disease brought by foreigners.

While COVID-19 – the disease caused by the virus – has largely come under control in China, it has killed more than 7,000 people around the world and severely disrupted daily life in Western countries.

As of midday Tuesday, more than 5,200 people in the US have tested positive for COVID-19 and 94 have died.  

Trump drew the ire of Chinese officials on Monday when he referred to COVID-19 as the ‘Chinese coronavirus’ in a tweet. 

‘The United States will be powerfully supporting those industries, like Airlines and others, that are particularly affected by the Chinese Virus. We will be stronger than ever before!’ he wrote.  

Beijing responded early on Tuesday by demanding that ‘the US side correct the mistake immediately and halt its groundless accusations’. 

Trump then doubled down, tweeting Tuesday morning about New York’s governor Andrew Cuomo – who has demanded the military are activated to build hospitals – that: ‘Cuomo wants ‘all states to be treated the same.’ 

‘But all states aren’t the same. Some are being hit hard by the Chinese Virus, some are being hit practically not at all.’

Defending the term to reporters, Trump said: ‘It’s accurate because that’s where it originated.’ 

Trump drew the ire of Chinese officials on Monday when he referred to COVID-19 as the 'Chinese coronavirus' in a tweet

Trump drew the ire of Chinese officials on Monday when he referred to COVID-19 as the ‘Chinese coronavirus’ in a tweet 

The president repeated the offensive moniker for coronavirus in another tweet on Tuesday

The president repeated the offensive moniker for coronavirus in another tweet on Tuesday 

The tweet-for-tat came one day after Trump’s Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, accused China of spreading conspiracy theories that the virus was the creation of the US military.

Contrasting conspiracy theories, that it was created by China as a tool for biological warfare, have been aired in pro-Trump circles in the US. 

And Pompeo himself has called it the ‘Wuhan virus’ in a series of media appearances, as have fervently pro-Trump Republicans including Oklahoma Sen Tom Cotton and Arizona Rep Paul Gosar, who then had to go into self-quarantine over fears he was infected with it.

Geng Shuang, a spokesperson from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, accused ‘certain American politicians’ of promoting stigmatization by connecting the novel coronavirus with China.

He did not name President Trump specifically, but was referring to President Trump’s tweet, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported. 

‘We express strong indignation and resolute opposition to this,’ Geng said at a daily news briefing.

He stressed that the coronavirus outbreak had occurred in multiple places around the world and the urgent task was for the international community to join forces to curb the pandemic.

‘The United States should mind its own business first, and then make constructive contributions to the international counter-epidemic collaboration and the maintenance of the global public health safety,’ Geng continued.

While US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (pictured) referred to it as the 'Wuhan virus'

Trump’s tweet-for-tat with Beijing came one day after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (pictured) accused China of spreading conspiracy theories that the virus was the creation of the US military

Anti-US sentiment is also growing in China as people on the country’s Twitter-like Weibo has shown an outpouring of anger towards President Trump.

One person said: ‘Trump is the virus of the world’.

Another typical comment accused: ‘American virus!’

A petition urging President Trump to apologize over his comment has appeared on the White House’s website.

The post read: ‘President Trump owes all Chinese apologies for naming COVID19 ‘the Chinese Virus’ in his latest twitter, especially under the circumstances where the origin of COVID-19 is not scientifically definite yet. Not only is his twitter defiance against science, but also cause hostages among Chinese and the other races.’

The request would need 100,000 signatures to secure a response from the White House. As of writing, 25,716 people have signed. 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk