CNN host John Berman scolded White House trade adviser Peter Navarro for using the term “China virus” to describe the coronavirus pandemic.
Navarro referred to COVID-19 as the “China virus” and the “CCP virus” during his Wednesday morning interview on New Day. Berman noted that he let one reference of the “China virus” go unchecked but demanded that Navarro stop using the phrase.
“We let you say that once, Peter. Please don’t say it again on this show. I know why you’re saying it,” Berman said, adding, “I know what you are trying to do there. There are Asian Americans who have told us they have become the source of crimes.”
Navarro said that the Chinese Communist Party “infected this nation with a deadly virus,” a point Berman dismissed. Navarro said that he loves the people of China but that the Chinese government is to blame for the pandemic.
“We love the Chinese people, Jonathan. They are hard-working, and they are under the boot of an authoritarian government,” he said.
President Trump has been similarly criticized for using the phrase “China virus” to describe the coronavirus. The president has argued that China should have been able to contain the outbreak, which emerged in Wuhan.
