But Cynthia Choi, an activist who helped create Stop AAPI Hate, attributed the rise in anti-Chinese rhetoric in the U.S. to President Donald Trump’s use of terms like “Chinese virus” and “Kung flu” to describe the coronavirus. He used the latter term in two rallies this month, both times eliciting cheers from the audience.
“They’re parroting Trump’s language; animus that’s tied to China being the source and spread of the virus and the pervasive use of orientalist stereotypes and racist demagoguery,” Choi said
