Saki, White House Spokesperson, Says "Trump Should Take Responsibility for the Increase in Violence Against Asians"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki directly criticized former President Donald Trump, saying he should take responsibility for the increasing incidents of violence against Asians in the United States.

According to Bloomberg News on the 17th (local time), Psaki pointed out during a briefing that Trump's aggressive rhetoric regarding the COVID-19 virus and its origins caused the rise in violent acts against Asian Americans.

Psaki stated, "It is clear that there was a lot of violent rhetoric during the Trump administration," adding, "For example, calling COVID-19 the 'Wuhan virus' and blaming others created a wrong and unfair perception of Asians, which led to an increase in violence against them."

Trump referred to COVID-19 as the "Wuhan virus" and suggested that China was responsible for the outbreak, making no hesitation in using racially discriminatory language.

In this context, Psaki indicated that Trump should take responsibility for the shooting incident that occurred in Atlanta on the 16th.

President Joe Biden also mentioned the Atlanta shooting incident on Twitter that afternoon. Biden wrote that although the motive behind the shooting is not yet known, he understands that Asians are feeling great sorrow tonight, and that recent violence against Asians must stop as it is un-American behavior.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris also said that we must not remain silent in the face of such hate crimes. Harris acknowledged the deep shock felt by Asians and expressed a desire to let them know that we stand with them.

The nonprofit organization opposing racial discrimination, Stop AAPI Hate, reported that nearly 3,800 incidents of violence against Asian Americans have been reported since March of last year when the COVID-19 outbreak began. The organization added that over 500 reports have been filed in just the past two months this year.

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