Donald Trump blames China’s ‘incompetence’ for ‘mass worldwide killing’ in early morning tweet

With his heated rhetoric, the US president appears to be making attacks on Beijing a centrepiece of his November re-election bid

The White House has also suggested, without offering evidence so far, that the virus originated in a laboratory and was accidentally released

Reading Time:1 minute

Published: 9:50pm, 20 May 2020Updated: 11:39pm, 20 May 2020

US President Donald Trump lashed out at China again on Wednesday over the coronavirus pandemic, blaming Beijing for “mass Worldwide killing”.

The early morning tweet, which also referred to an unidentified “wacko in China”, was the latest heated rhetoric from the White House, where Trump is making attacks on Beijing a centrepiece of his November re-election bid.

“It was the ‘incompetence of China’, and nothing else, that did this mass Worldwide killing,” the president tweeted.

The virus was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan last December and spread rapidly around the world, killing more than 323,000 people at the latest count, and triggering huge economic damage.

Trump initially played down the seriousness of the threat and said repeatedly that China was addressing the outbreak. He later pivoted to blaming China for allowing the international spread.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x