Plurality of Voters Say China Must Pay for Coronavirus Damage

As we reported earlier today, the media’s politicization of the Coronavirus pandemic hasn’t resonated well with most Americans. Both Republicans and Independents have a net-negative opinion of the media’s Coroanvirus coverage (as did the average respondent), while only Democrats had a net favorable view.

Among the most egregious attempts at politicizing the virus has come from those branding it the “Trump Virus,” as the New York Times has. In their world it’s politically incorrect to call a virus that originated in China, and whose spread was covered up by the Chinese government, a Chinese virus (or Wuhan virus) – but it’s fair game to call it the “Trump virus.” Go figure. By their logic they should be triggered every-time they see a “made in China” sticker on an item they purchased.

To a large extent, they’re propagandizing for the Chinese government pro-bono.

China is currently fighting a propaganda war in an attempt to blame the U.S. for spawning the Coronavirus. It’s abject nonsense, and it serves a greater purpose than to just attempt to save face. China knows that they’re responsible for trillions of dollars in economic losses, and that they’re likely to face pressure to compensate for at least part of the damage they’ve inflicted.

A plurality of American voters think they should.

As the Washington Examiner’s Paul Bedard writes, quoting Rasmussen Reports:

42% of likely U.S. voters said that the communist country should help pay some of the financial costs that have resulted from the so-called Wuhan coronavirus, named for the city it began in.

Some 36% disagreed, and 22% are undecided, said Rasmussen.

Support is higher among Republicans. Of them, 54% want China to “pay at least some of the world’s coronavirus bills,” said Rasmussen. Just 37% of both Democrats and voters not affiliated with either major political party agreed.

Rasmussen noted that Chinese efforts to blame the U.S. for the virus outbreak have included a call that the government restrict U.S. access to key drugs it makes for American markets.

Said the pollster: “Twenty-eight percent (28%) of voters here say that if China follows through with that threat, it should be considered an act of war. Forty-eight percent (48%) disagree, but 25% are not sure.”

China currently owns just north of $1 trillion of our debt. Even a cancellation of that debt wouldn’t fully cover the economic losses they’ve caused, and will continue causing the U.S. economy in coming months, but it’s a start.

I joined @tuckercarlson last night to discuss how we can begin to demand reparations from Communist #China for putting us through the economic strain of #coronavirus. Watch below: pic.twitter.com/YEAHJpkoLv

— Jim Banks (@RepJimBanks) March 17, 2020