Trump Hopes ‘Warm Weather’ Will Weaken Coronavirus After Talking to Chinese President Xi
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President Donald Trump spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping early Friday morning, who he mightily praised afterward to his millions of Twitter followers. Trump and Xi have been engaging in trade talks for years now, and Trump has consistently flattered the Chinese leader and this was no different. But his comment about how the coronavirus may grow or abate due to weather patterns may raise some eyebrows.
Trump lauded Xi by describing him as “strong, sharp and powerfully focused on leading the counterattack on the Coronavirus.”
Just had a long and very good conversation by phone with President Xi of China. He is strong, sharp and powerfully focused on leading the counterattack on the Coronavirus. He feels they are doing very well, even building hospitals in a matter of only days. Nothing is easy, but…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 7, 2020
But in the second part of the two-tweet thread, Trump suggested that Xi will be successful in fighting the virus that is now being called a pandemic, because it will get weaker as the weather starts to warm:
….he will be successful, especially as the weather starts to warm & the virus hopefully becomes weaker, and then gone. Great discipline is taking place in China, as President Xi strongly leads what will be a very successful operation. We are working closely with China to help!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 7, 2020
Trump’s hope that the virus would weaken due to warm weather, got the following reaction from White House reporter Andrew Feinberg:
He is talking about Xi like many of his supporters talk about him.
Also, I’m not a doctor but I am pretty sure viruses don’t become stronger or weaker based on weather. https://t.co/SMhKIYEO6r
— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) February 7, 2020
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