His secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, called it the “Wuhan virus.” That language morphed into the “China Virus,” and in moments of cruel humor, the “Kung Flu.” Members of the Trump administration would go on to use this toxic nomenclature for the remainder of the Trump presidency. Between March 16th and March 30th of 2020, twice-impeached former president Donald Trump used the phrase “Chinese virus,” more than twenty times.
