Karrueche Tran is not happy with President Donald Trump after he doubled down on referring to the COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus.”
The Claws actress’ mother is Vietnamese.
“To target and discriminate Asians is wrong,” Tran wrote in a message posted to Instagram. “The coronavirus is not the ‘Chinese virus’! Let’s stop instilling more fear and hate,” she continued. “The world is struggling enough as it is. Please stop this.”
High profile politicians have identified Trump’s constant usage of the phrase as a dog-whistle to his extremist supporters, and it has already been linked to a rise in violent attacks against members of the Asian community.
During a recent White House news briefing, Trump denied that the phrase was racist, and defended using the term.
“It’s not racist at all. It comes from China, that’s why. I want to be accurate,” he said brazenly. “I didn’t appreciate the fact that China was saying that our military gave it to them. I think saying that our military gave it to them creates a stigma.”
Trump may be grossly misguided, or he is using the phrase to help him secure another victory in the upcoming 2020 elections. During his 2016 campaign, he also focused on immigrants — painting Mexican nationals as gang members and drug peddlers. His “Make America Great Again” slogan was adopted by far-right extremists and helped him to secure the most powerful seat in the world.
Social media users have been sharing videos of graphic assaults against the Asian community, and Trump is yet to condemn the attacks.
However, the attacks have not only taken place in the U.S. but also in the United Kingdom.
The Guardian reports that Chinese students are “fleeing back to China” amid concerns about the British government’s handling of the spread of the virus and an increase in racist attacks.
