White House press secretary Jen Psaki said there is “no question” that the Trump administration’s rhetoric on the coronavirus pandemic has elevated threats against Asian-Americans.

Psaki said at a press conference on March 17, 2021, that former US President Donald Trump, who had called Covid-19 the “Chinese virus”, has led to inaccurate perceptions of the Asian-American community.

Trump had referred to the pandemic as the “China virus” again during a phone interview with Fox News on March 16, just hours before six Asian women were shot dead in a string of attacks at day spas in and around the city of Atlanta in the state of Georgia.