Prominent allies of President Donald Trump blamed his positive COVID-19 diagnosis on Thursday on the Chinese government, accusing Beijing of literally infecting the president with the virus in what was effectively an attack on the U.S. commander-in-chief.
“The Chinese Communist Party has biologically attacked our President,” declared Blair Brandt, a top Trump campaign fundraiser and an adviser to Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law. “China must be held accountable,” he added. “From Wuhan to the White House, China must pay for what it’s done.”
While she stopped short of accusing China of biological warfare, Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) also pinned blame for the president’s diagnosis on the Chinese government and demanded retaliatory measures. “Remember: China gave this virus to our President @realDonaldTrump and First Lady @FLOTUS,” Loeffler wrote on Twitter on Friday morning. “WE MUST HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE.”
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The coronavirus is widely believed to have originated in Wuhan, China, and Trump has sought to deflect criticism of the U.S. government’s response to the virus by pinning blame on Beijing. The Trump administration has also sought to play up Chinese efforts to damage Trump in next month’s election, efforts that some prominent Trump allies quickly linked to his Thursday diagnosis.
“Is it fair to make the assessment that China has now officially interfered with our election?” tweeted Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC).
