Trump says 'Kung Flu' to describe coronavirus again despite criticism
President Trump referred to the coronavirus as the “kung flu” on Tuesday during his speech addressing young people in Phoenix, despite past criticisms that the phrase is racist, The Hill reports.
The president used the term “kung flu” when speaking to students from the conservative group Turning Point Action, days after saying it at his campaign rally in Tulsa, Okla., on Saturday.
The first reported outbreak of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, was in Wuhan, China, and Trump’s nickname for it is a riff on kung fu, a name for Chinese martial arts.
“I said the other night, there’s never been anything where they have so many names,” Trump said, referencing his Tulsa event, which was his first campaign rally since the pandemic closed down much of the country. “I could give you 19 or 20 names for that, right? It’s got all different names.”
The president then listed several names for the disease, including the coronavirus, the “Wuhan” virus and “the Chinese virus.” When Trump said “kung flu,” the crowd responded with cheers.