White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway is defending President Donald Trumpâs recent use of the term âKung fluâ to describe the coronavirus despite previously condemning the term.
As Conway spoke with reporters outside of the White House on Wednesday morning, she was immediately asked about her reaction to the presidentâs repeated use of the term âKung fluâ during his rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday.
Conway fired back in defense of Trump blaming China for the presidentâs use of the term.
âMy reaction is that the president has made very clear he wants everybody to understand, and I think many Americans do understand, that the virus originated in China and that had China been more transparent and honest with the United States and the world, we wouldnât have all the death and destruction that, unfortunately, weâve suffered.â
After defending the president Conway pivoted to CBS News White House correspondent Weijia Jiang as she approached.
Despite being questioned about the presidentâs use of the term, Conway pressed Jiang to reveal the name of the person who initially said it.
âIâm glad youâre joining us with you because I still invite you up here to tell us who said that,â Conway said. âAnd I think that that would be very important revelation for us. Thatâs not a source for you to protect. Thatâs somebody who shouldnât have said that, and youâre claiming did say that, and we still donât know who that was.â
Although Conway was pressed about the issue, she appeared to avoid questions about her remarks made in March.
Conwayâs latest defense of the president appears to contradict her previous remarks.
See Conwayâs remarks below:
At the beginning of the pandemic, Jiang raised concerns about an unnamed White House officialâs use of the term âKung fluâ to describe the coronavirus. However, she refrained from identifying the person.
During one of Trumpâs press briefings back in March, he was asked if he thought the term âChinese virusâ was racist. He claimed he did not as he insisted the virus came from China.
See Trump and Jiangâs exchange below:
Amid heightened backlash over the terms, Conway was also asked her opinion.
Although she pressed for the name of the person who made the remark, she conceded saying in March, âOf course, itâs wrong.â She also described the term as âhighly offensive,â as she noted that her husband and kids are Asian-American.
Hear Conwayâs previous remarks below:
In wake of the latest âKung fluâ argument, Jiang has also fired back via Twitter and called out Conway for her previous contradictory remarks.
She tweeted, âIn March, Kellyanne Conway said the term âKung fluâ was âhighly offensiveâ and that sheâd like to tell whoever said it that it was âhurtfulâ and âunhelpfulâ. She mentioned her kids are Asian-American. The President has now used the phrase 3 times.â
Conway has yet to respond to the latest criticism.
