President Donald Trump said Wednesday that it was “inappropriate” to talk about whether the coronavirus came from a virology lab in Wuhan, China.
“I don’t want to discuss what I talked to him about the laboratory, I just don’t want to discuss it, it’s inappropriate right now,” Trump said during the White House press briefing when asked if he had discussed the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The president was asked about new reporting revealing that American officials had reached a “high confidence” assessment that the coronavirus emanated from the virology lab in Wuhan, China, and into the wet markets before spreading across the world in a pandemic.
“I don’t want to say that … but I will tell you, more and more we’re hearing the story,” Trump replied.
Trump said the federal government would continue to investigate.
“We are doing a very thorough examination of this horrible situation that happened,” he said.
State Department cables warned in January 2018 about inadequate safety at the Wuhan Institute of Virology lab in their research on bats, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.
The president also challenged a reporter who asked why there were more deaths in the United States than in other countries.
“Do you really believe those numbers in this vast country called China? … Does anyone really believe that?” he said.
White House
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