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Donald Trump zigs, zags and zigs again on China and the coronavirus
- The US president has adopted a cooperative tone on the pandemic after a phone call with his Chinese counterpart
- The change in tack comes after weeks of claims and counterclaims about mishandling of the crisis
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US President Donald Trump has noticeably changed his tune on China and the coronavirus – from praising then blaming China for mishandling the outbreak to stressing the need to work with Beijing as the pandemic takes a greater toll on the United States.
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After a phone call with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, Trump on Friday referred to the pathogen as the “coronavirus that is ravaging large parts of our planet”, rather than the controversial term “Chinese virus” he had used earlier.
In the phone call, Xi and Trump took a more cooperative approach to the crisis, in contrast to the blame game their countries have played over the spread of the coronavirus, which causes a disease known as Covid-19.
In the early stages of the outbreak, Trump praised China’s containment efforts, even as Beijing was criticised for its early missteps in the outbreak response, including inaction and local cover-ups. At one point, he even said the US “greatly appreciates” China’s efforts to stop the contagion.
But as the number of cases in the US began to rise, domestic pressure mounted on the Trump administration over its own failures to ensure widespread testing and medical support.
His attitude towards China’s transparency and its timeliness in disclosing information started to change on March 6, when he said the US had just learned about the virus a short while ago.
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