Trump shoots back instantly when asked about US overtaking China's Coronavirus count

After the United States surpassed China to lead the number of Coronavirus cases in the world, Donald Trump remained skeptical about the numbers shared by the Asian country. With 82,404 cases of infection, the United States on Friday surpassed virus hotspots China and Italy, according to a tracker run by Johns Hopkins University.

When questioned about overtaking China, Trump said, "You don't know what the numbers are in China." "I mean sure, you don't know what China is testing or not testing, that's a little hard," the US President added. Moreover, speaking about the rise in cases, he said, "Its a tribute to the amount of testing."

Finding its roots from Wuhan, China became the epicenter of the Coronavirus three months ago, however, it now has affected 199 countries and territories around the world. US President Donald Trump said he will speak by phone with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. Trump told a press conference he would be speaking to President Xi at 9 pm (6:30 AM IST Friday).

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'Chinese virus' jibe 

US President Donald Trump yet again justified his branding of the novel coronavirus pandemic as the "Chinese Virus" on March 19, disregarding criticism that the label is racially offensive and inaccurately depicts the global nature of COVID-19. US President Donald Trump last Wednesday said that that he doesn’t think to call COVID-19 the "Chinese virus" — or the "kung-flu," as one administration official reportedly called it — puts Asian Americans at risk of retaliation despite growing reports they are facing virus-related discrimination.

Asked why he keeps calling the coronavirus the “Chinese virus” when scientists say the disease doesn't respect borders and is not caused by ethnicity, Trump told reporters at the White House that he doesn't consider it a racist remark. “It’s not racist at all," Trump said, adding that he calls it the “Chinese virus” because he wants to be accurate. 

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