The darkly cynical reason conservatives insist on calling Covid-19 the ‘Chinese virus’

As conservative media figures and Republicans pivot from their failed strategy of downplaying the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic, they’re adopting a deeply cynical new ploy to help manage perceptions of the growing outbreak.

Along with President Donald Trump, many right-wing personalities are insisting on referring to the pathogen as the “Chinese virus” or the “Wuhan virus,” which refers to the city in China where the first tracked outbreak of the virus occurred.

A reporter pressed Trump on Wednesday for an explanation of this terminology. Continue reading.