The relations between China and the U.S. have reached low with President Donald Trump blaming Beijing for mishandling the Coronavirus pandemic that claimed the lives of over 131,400 lives in the country. Trump and his administration for long been using the term "China Virus," referring to the novel Coronavirus to constantly remind people that the pandemic originated in China's Wuhan city.
Amid the rancor, American author Stephen King responded to Trump's tweet, calling the Coronavirus an 'American virus'. He tweeted, "It's the American Virus now, big boy," after Trump mentioned on his Twitter page, "New China Virus Cases up (because of massive testing), deaths are down, "low and steady". The Fake News Media should report this and also, that new job numbers are setting records!". Seizing the moment to hit back, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Hua Chunying shared Stephen King's tweet as a jibe at Trump.
Coronavirus in the U.S.
The U.S. surpassed the 130,000 Coronavirus pandemic fatality mark on Monday, July 6. As new cases of COVID-19 surged across the country, Trump's response to the crisis is now under severe scrutiny. As of Wednesday, July 8, the U.S. authorities have reported almost three million infection cases while Brazil and India have recorded second and third highest infection cases at 1,668,589 and 742,417, respectively.
Trump has now launched an all-out effort to reopen schools in states this fall while making an argument that some of these states are keeping schools closed not because of the Coronavirus pandemic but for political reasons.
At the time when the U.S. is struggling to defeat the virus, the President continues his blame game and recently said that Beijing must be held fully accountable for its "secrecy, deception and cover-up" that allowed the COVID-19 to spread all over the world.
While addressing the nation for a second time in as many days on the occasion of 244th Independence Day on Saturday, July 4, Trump touted the country's "progress" against the disease, despite a nationwide spike in the number of infection cases.
