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Updated March 18th, 2021 at 18:33 IST

White House says Trump's 'damaging rhetoric' fueled discrimination against Asian Americans

White House, on March 17, said that former president Trump’s “rhetoric” around the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to discrimination against Asians-Americans.

Reported by: Riya Baibhawi
White House says Trump's 'damaging rhetoric' fueled bias against Asian-Americans
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White House, on March 17, said that former president Donald Trump’s “damaging rhetoric” around the coronavirus pandemic has contributed to discrimination against Asian Americans. Speaking during the daily press conference, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki highlighted that Trump and his officials repeatedly dubbed coronavirus as “Wuhan virus” or “kung fu” which directly or indirectly led to a rise in threats against the Asian-Americans. Her remarks came just a day after a “racially motivated” shooting in Atlanta led to the death of at least eight Asian women. 

"I think there's no question that some of the damaging rhetoric that we saw during the prior administration calling COVID the "Wuhan virus" or other things led to perceptions of the Asian American community that are inaccurate, unfair, have raised, you know, threatening -- has elevated threats against Asian Americans. And we're seeing that around the country," Psaki said during a daily press briefing at The White House.

While the US has been reporting incidences of racism against Asian-Americans throughout its history, it particularly increased after former President Donald Trump started referring to coronavirus as ‘Kung Flu’ and China Virus. As per Stop AAPI Hate, the country has reported more than 2,800 incidents of anti-Asian hate between March and December 2020. While verbal harassment has made up more than 70 per cent of the incidents, more than 8 per cent involved physical assaults.

Biden's anti-racism efforts

Addressing media reporters, Psaki also highlighted incumbent president Joe Biden’s focus and efforts to curb this racial bias. She also noted an executive order that banned references to COVID-19 by geographical location. Earlier in January, Biden, in a memorandum, had instructed executive departments and agencies to ensure that official actions, documents and statements “do not exhibit or contribute to racism, xenophobia, and intolerance against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders”.

Just last week, the President had condemned the violence that Asian Americans had to endure throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Highlighting that the community has been subjected to various “hate crimes”, Biden stressed that while American residents should have been working in solidarity, that has not been the case.  The US has been witnessing multiple episodes of racially motivated violence and hate in the past months, which has now pushed hundreds of thousands of Asian Americans into fear. 

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Published March 18th, 2021 at 18:33 IST

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