Trump briefing notes show he replaced 'coronavirus' with 'Chinese virus' in Sharpie

Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

President Trump won't budge on labeling the COVID-19 coronavirus the "Chinese virus," apparently even to the point of altering his own White House notes.

After Trump's White House briefing on Thursday, during which he called the novel coronavirus "the Chinese virus" within 45 seconds of taking the podium, The Washington Post's Jabin Botsford shared a photo showing that the notes Trump was reading from in one section included "corona virus" crossed out to be replaced with "Chinese virus," presumably by Trump himself.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.