Democrat Says Trump is Stoking “Xenophobic Panic” By Calling it a “Chinese Virus”

It has been repulsive to watch certain members of the liberal media and certain Democratic lawmakers continue to politicize the coronavirus long after it should have been blindingly obvious to even the dumbest American citizen that this is an unprecedented crisis.

Responsible reporting about the Trump administration’s response to the disease? Fair enough, even if it is critical.

Outlandish accusations against the president for being “racist” about calling it a Chinese virus? Absolutely stupid, nonsensical, and a sign of how – even in the very worst of circumstances – a certain percentage of leftists just can’t let go of their woke, identity-politics way of looking at the world.

The worst may be Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA), who actually wrote an entire op-ed on Thursday taking President Trump to task for his nomenclature.

“Trump’s repeated insistence on calling coronavirus the ‘Chinese virus’ is more than just xenophobic; it causes harm both to Asian Americans and to the White House’s response to this life-threatening pandemic,” Lieu said without evidence. “I served on active duty in the U.S. military to defend the right of any American to make politically incorrect statements, but as a public figure, I cannot stand idly by while the president uses his pulpit to exacerbate xenophobia in a time of crisis.

“Trump claims that in using the phrase ‘Chinese virus,’ he’s just trying to be ‘accurate’ in describing where it’s from,” Lieu continued. “But there is a difference between saying the virus is from China and saying it is a Chinese virus. In a time of unease and uncertainty, such language stokes xenophobic panic and doesn’t get us closer to eradicating this virus.”

Lieu then goes on to list three anecdotal examples of Asian-Americans being harassed by others. Two in New York and one in Los Angeles. You know, those hotspots of pro-Trump sentiment.

It couldn’t possibly be that these idiots just decided on their own to punish Chinese-looking individuals with threats and rants; no, no, they would have left those poor people alone were it not for Trump saying the words “Chinese virus.” Makes perfect sense. If Trump doesn’t say it, everyone will suddenly forget that this disease originated in the reprehensible wet markets of Wuhan.

Lieu is certainly right that using “Chinese virus” or “Wuhan Flu” or any other term will get us no closer to stopping the spread of this disease. Nor, however, will abiding by the Democrat Handbook of Political Correctness. And by doing the latter, we will underplay China’s role in this catastrophe and make it all the more tempting to forgive them for the unforgivable cover-up that loosed this pandemic on the world.