Trump ponders whether China let coronavirus get out of control 'deliberately'

President Trump continued his criticism of China's handling of the initial novel COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, even going so far as to question whether Beijing let the virus get out of control "deliberately."

During his daily White House briefing Saturday, Trump said if China was "knowingly responsible" for the novel COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic "there should be consequences." He suggested the Chinese government was likely "embarrassed" about the virus getting out of control, adding that the question now is whether it was a "mistake that got out of control" or deliberate in the first place. "There's a big difference between the two," he said.

The president also questioned the legitimacy of the coronavirus death toll reported by Beijing, whose officially data places China's fatalities per 100,000 people far below the figures in the United States and Europe. "Does anybody really believe these figures?" he asked. Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, agreed that the numbers were "unrealistic."

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While many people have raised concerns about Beijing's response to the virus and especially the legitimacy of China's case and death totals, Trump's own critics believe the White House is focusing heavily on China as a way to divert attention from its own missteps in responding to the pandemic. Read more at The Guardian and Reuters.