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Kellyanne Conway Defends Trump’s Use of “Kung Flu,” Weeks After Calling the Term “Highly Offensive”

HeadlineJun 25, 2020

In the United States, dozens of Secret Service agents who worked security at President Trump’s campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last weekend have been ordered to self-isolate, after two of their colleagues tested positive for COVID-19. This comes as Tulsa County recorded 259 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, a record daily toll. Meanwhile, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway on Wednesday defended President Trump’s use of the racist term “kung flu” to describe COVID-19 at rallies in Tulsa and Phoenix this week.

Kellyanne Conway: “My 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 had China been more transparent and honest with the United States and the world, we wouldn’t have all the death and destruction that unfortunately we’ve suffered.”

Kellyanne Conway’s statement contrasts sharply with her remarks three months ago, when she called the term “kung flu” highly offensive and attacked Asian American reporter Weijia Jiang for not naming a White House official who reportedly used the slur.

Kellyanne Conway: “And that’s highly offensive, so you should tell us all who it is. I’d like to know who it is. I’m not going to engage in hypotheticals. I’m married to an Asian. I mean, I’m not engaging in hypothetical. My kids are.”

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