Trump: "Novel Coronavirus Will Disappear by April Due to Warm Weather"...Criticism of Complacent Response

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] U.S. President Donald Trump optimistically mentioned that the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) would disappear soon as the weather gets warmer, drastically reducing support for the World Health Organization (WHO) and significantly cutting the budget for the global health sector of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Both inside and outside the United States, criticism is growing that the Trump administration is taking an overly complacent attitude toward the novel coronavirus.

On the 10th (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump said at a business session event with U.S. governors held at the White House, "The virus will disappear in April," adding, "Heat kills this kind of virus." President Trump also mentioned that the situation in the U.S. is good, according to reporters. So far, 12 confirmed cases have been reported in the U.S., with at least two of them having been released from quarantine.

Along with President Trump's optimistic forecast, the Trump administration cut the WHO support budget by more than 50% and reduced the budget for global health programs by 34% in the fiscal year 2021 budget proposal. The global health sector of the U.S. CDC was also significantly downsized. Both inside and outside the U.S., criticism is mounting that the Trump administration's excessive optimism has led to a lax response to the novel coronavirus. There are concerns that if a global epidemic like the novel coronavirus spreads in small towns or rural areas of the U.S., where major health and quarantine systems are weak, it could become difficult to respond effectively.

However, the Trump administration had been steadily cutting aid budgets to the WHO and various United Nations agencies since 2017. Within the WHO, U.S. influence has weakened while China's influence has expanded. In 2017, the Chinese government announced it would provide 60 billion yuan (approximately 10.2066 trillion won) in support to the WHO over the next ten years. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the current WHO Director-General with pro-China leanings, was also elected under China's support.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.