Psaki: 'No question' Trump rhetoric fed anti-Asian bias
By Brett Samuels - 03/17/21 04:08 PM EDT White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday that former President Trump's rhetoric around the coronavirus pandemic has contributed to discrimination against Asian Americans, comments that come in the wake of Tuesday's shootings in and around Atlanta that left several Asian women dead.
"I think there’s no question that some of the damaging rhetoric that we saw during the prior administration — calling COVID the 'Wuhan virus' or other things — led to perceptions of the Asian American community that are inaccurate, unfair... has elevated threats against Asian Americans, and we’re seeing that around the country," Psaki said during a briefing with reporters.
She pointed to President Biden's focus on the issue of anti-Asian American bias amid the pandemic, including a memo condemning and seeking to combat racism against Asian Americans.
Biden denounced hate crimes against Asian Americans during a primetime address last week marking one-year since pandemic restrictions began, calling the violence "un-American."
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https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/543706-psaki-no-question-trump-rhetoric-fed-anti-asian-bias