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US President Trump lashes out at China for mass worldwide killing and incompetence

Meanwhile, Trump has said it is a "badge of honour" for America to "lead" the world with 1.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases since it means the US is testing more people for the disease that has killed over 300,000 people across the world

US President Trump lashes out at China for mass worldwide killing and incompetence
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Washington D.C., First Published May 21, 2020, 9:51 AM IST

Washington: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday again lashed out at China over the coronavirus pandemic, blaming Beijing for "mass worldwide killing."

His tweet, which also referred to an unidentified "wacko in China," was the latest heated rhetoric from the White House, where Trump is making attacks on Beijing, a centerpiece of his November reelection bid.

"It was the 'incompetence of China', and nothing else, that did this mass worldwide killing," the President tweeted.

Meanwhile, Trump has said it is a "badge of honour" for America to "lead" the world with 1.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases since it means the US is testing more people for the disease that has killed over 3,00,000 people across the world.

The US has 1.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases and over 91,000 deaths, both the world's highest.

"I look at that as, in a certain respect, as being a good thing because it means our testing is much better," he said on Tuesday at the White House as he hosted his first Cabinet meeting since the COVID-19 outbreak began.

"By the way," he told reporters, "You know when you say that we lead in cases, that's because we have more testing than anybody else."

"So when we have a lot of cases," he continued, "I don't look at that as a bad thing, I look at that as, in a certain respect, as being a good thing because it means our testing is much better."

He added, "So I view it as a badge of honour. Really, it's a badge of honour."

President Trump was responding to a question about whether he was considering a travel ban on Latin America, Brazil in particular.

"It's a great tribute to the testing and all of the work that a lot of professionals have done," the President said.

According to the Centres for Disease Control, a federal agency, the US had conducted 12.6 million coronavirus tests by Tuesday.

The Democratic National Committee has criticised President Trump's comments, tweeting that the 1.5 million COVID-19 cases in the US represented "a complete failure of leadership".  

Donald Trump is seeking re-election in November during the Presidential election in the US.

Meanwhile, President Trump said he was considering a travel ban on countries from Latin America due to a surge in coronavirus cases there. "We are considering it," the US President said when asked if he was considering a travel ban on Latin America, and Brazil in particular.

Brazil has over 2,71,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, the third highest in the world, following the US and Russia. According to Johns Hopkins data, Russia has over 3,08,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

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