Trump’s GOP blames China for virus with eye on 2020

Bloomberg

Republicans are ratcheting up efforts to paint China as the villain in the coronavirus pandemic, seeking to shift blame as President Donald Trump faces increased criticism of his handling of a crisis that has shuttered the US economy.
The Trump campaign sent out a fundraising email that accused China of “lying” about the outbreak and saying the country must be held accountable, language that is harsher than the president has used himself.
Senator Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, introduced a bill that would make the Chinese government liable for civil claims in US courts if it’s found to have withheld information related to the virus. And House Republicans’ election committee issued a statement calling
a freshman Democrat who flipped a Republican-held seat in 2018 a “Chinese asset.”
The president announced he would halt US funding for the World Health Organization,
accusing the United Nations agency of taking Chinese
claims about the disease “at face value.” Trump repeatedly complimented the Chinese government’s handling of the outbreak in January and February.
China has “serious concerns” about Trump’s decision and called on the US to fulfill its responsibilities, foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a briefing in Beijing on Wednesday. Zhao said the US move “will weaken the WHO’s capabilities and undermine international cooperation.”
The Chinese government has repeatedly said it reported the outbreak to the WHO and has denied suppressing information about the virus initially.
The US coronavirus outbreak, at nearly 600,000 cases and more than 25,000 dead, stands to dominate the 2020 election. The pandemic has collapsed the economy, which less than two months ago was the centerpiece of Trump’s re-election effort. Democrats have sought to portray his handling of the crisis as inept, and he has responded in part by blaming his White House predecessors, US governors — and China.
“China has been lying and doing everything they can to cover up the spread of Covid-19 in their country. It’s absolutely disgraceful and we can’t stand by and do nothing,” Trump’s campaign said in the fundraising email. “President Trump has always been tough on China, but he can’t hold them accountable on his own.”
Lisa Burns, a Quinnipiac University professor who specialises in political messaging, called the effort “playing to the base” of the Republican Party.
“The default was to go back to the China excuse and deflecting to China,” she said in an interview. “When you’re playing to a base, looking for that red meat, scapegoating is one of your best strategies.” Congressional Democrats called Trump’s move to halt WHO funding “a desperate attempt” to absolve himself, and said it was illegal.
“The president does not have the unilateral authority to withhold the United States’ assessed contribution to the World Health Organization. Moreover, refusing to fund the WHO is a foolish step that only weakens international tools to fight
this pandemic and future
global health emergencies,” House Appropriations Committee spokesman Evan Hollander said in a statement. “Not wanting to take responsibility as the deaths continue to mount, he blames others,” Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont said.