Trump’s “ confident ” coronavirus outbreak could come from Wuhan lab

US President Donald Trump said Thursday he was convinced the coronavirus could have come from a Chinese virology laboratory, but declined to describe the evidence, increasing tensions with Beijing over the origins of the deadly disease.

Trump did not mince words at a White House event on Thursday when asked if he saw evidence that gave him a “high degree of confidence”. The virus came from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

“Yes, yes,” he said, refusing to give details. “I can’t tell you. I have no right to tell you.”

The Chinese state-supported Wuhan Institute of Virology in China rejected the claims, and other US officials have downplayed their likelihood. Most experts believe that the virus originated in a wildlife market in Wuhan and that it has passed from animals to humans.

The Republican President has shown growing frustration with China in recent weeks because of the pandemic, which has cost tens of thousands of lives in the United States alone, sparked an economic contraction and threatened his chances of re-election in November.

Trump said earlier that his administration was trying to determine if the coronavirus was emanating from the Wuhan laboratory, following media reports, it could have been artificially synthesized in a Chinese state-supported laboratory, or perhaps escaped from it. such an installation.

The coronavirus epidemic has helped widen the gap between the Trump administration and China, with Beijing suggesting that the U.S. military may have brought the coronavirus to China and Trump claiming that China has not alerted the world to the risks. of coronavirus in a timely and transparent manner.

Trump also said on Thursday that China may not be able to stop the spread of the coronavirus or let it spread. He declined to say whether he held Chinese President Xi Jinping responsible for what he considered misinformation about the emergence of the coronavirus.

Trump said of China’s efforts to get to the bottom of how the virus first appeared: “At least they seem to be trying to be somewhat transparent with us.”

“But we will find out. You will learn in the not too distant future. But it was a terrible thing that happened – if they made a mistake or if it started as a mistake, then they made a another one. Or did someone do something on purpose? “he said.

Trump told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday that he was considering different options in terms of the consequences for Beijing of the virus. “I can do a lot,” he said.