Governments
are ramping up their moves to contain the coronavirus COVID-19 as it spreads
globally. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has called for all public schools
to close from next Monday until the end of the spring break in April, as new
infections of the virus outside China outnumber those in China. China still has
the highest number. Altogether, 50 countries or territories have confirmed
cases of the virus. South Korea has again seen its biggest one-day jump in
infections, and Saudi Arabia has stopped travel to religious pilgrimage sites
due to fears over the virus. In Europe, Italy's outbreak has worsened, while
Romania, Denmark and Estonia are the latest countries to confirm cases. And Australia
is taking emergency measures to stop the disease spreading. Numerous
international flights have been cut back or canceled. Countries around the
world are fighting to ward off a pandemic.
Trump calls coronavirus criticism Democrats' 'new hoax' and links it to immigration
Trump calls coronavirus criticism Democrats' 'new hoax' and links it to immigration
The
president was in South Carolina where he falsely called ‘the Democrat policy of
open borders’ a threat to Americans’ health
Daniel Strauss
and Oliver Laughland in North Charleston, South Carolina
Sat 29 Feb
2020 03.40 GMTLast modified on Sat 29 Feb 2020 04.32 GMT
Donald
Trump attempted to link the coronavirus outbreak to Democratic immigration policies,
labeling Democratic attacks on his handling of the crisis a “new hoax” in a
rambling speech in South Carolina, the night before the state’s crucial
Democratic primary.
In a packed
rally in North Charleston, Trump defended his administration’s handling of the
outbreak. He accused the Democrats of “politicizing the coronavirus”, calling
it “their new hoax” after the Russian investigation and impeachment.
“We are
doing everything in our power to keep the infection and those carrying the
infection from entering the country. We have no choice,” Trump said at the
Coliseum and Performing Arts Center. “Whether it’s the virus that we’re talking
about, or the many other public health threats, the Democrat policy of open
borders is a direct threat to the health and wellbeing of all Americans.”
Trump cited
no evidence to link the virus with migration at the southern border, where he
has focused much of his anti-immigration policy. The first case of coronavirus
in the US with no known origin was diagnosed in northern California on
Wednesday night, hundreds of miles from the border. Additional such cases in
California and Oregon were confirmed on Friday.
Trump’s
comments come as his administration moved to establish a point person to
coordinate the country’s response to the outbreak. On Wednesday, Trump said
vice-president Mike Pence would lead the administration’s response. Later,
Pence said he had picked Dr Deborah L Birx, who runs the country’s efforts to
fight HIV and Aids, to lead the response to the coronavirus. Alex Azar, the
Health and Human Services Secretary, is also taking a leading role.
The
administration has faced significant criticism for its handling of coronavirus,
as Democrats point to cuts at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) under
Trump’s leadership. On Friday, the CDC said it was working to distribute new
testing kits, after the first batch turned out to be faulty.
At other
moments during his speech, Trump digressed to rattle off insults at the
Democratic candidates running for president.
He mocked
the former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg.
“He wished
he’d never started. He wished he’d never started. He said ‘Well, Trump can do
it, I’m going to do it too.’ Was that the worst debate performance in history?”
Trump said.
He attacked
billionaire Tom Steyer for spending millions on his own presidential campaign.
“But this
guy Steyer, he spends all this money. He spends all this money. He’s not that
wealthy,” Trump said, urging the crowd to tell him which candidate would be
easiest for him to beat.
Between
diatribes about his possible presidential opponents, Trump bragged about the
unemployment rate in South Carolina and nationally, hailing a low jobless rate
among African Americans.
Trump’s
re-election campaign has made outreach to black voters a key pillar of its
strategy. In his speech, Trump attacked Democrats’ record on race, saying they
had “betrayed African Americans”: “They forced their children into failing
schools. They shipped their jobs to foreign countries. They pushed their unfair
sentencing policies, you know about that … and they favoured illegal aliens
over their own constituents, you know that,” Trump said.
He claimed
his own administration was reversing such “failed policies”: “We’re going to
compete for every single vote in 2020 and we expect to win a historic share of
the black vote come election day.”
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