Trump claims China 'will do anything they can' to stop his re-election

30 April 2020, 06:23

President Trump claimed China was attempting to prevent his re-election
President Trump claimed China was attempting to prevent his re-election. Picture: PA
EJ Ward

By EJ Ward

US President Donald Trump has claimed Beijing "will do anything they can" to prevent him being re-elected, citing China's handling of the coronavirus pandemic as proof.

In an Oval Office interview with news agency Reuters, the President said he was looking at different options in terms of consequences for Beijing over the virus. “I can do a lot,” he said, without going into detail.

President Trump said China should have informed the world about coronavirus much sooner.

For the first time, the President directly linked Beijing to his re-election campaign in November. He claimed, “China will do anything they can to have me lose this race,” he said.

Mr Trump also said he believed China wants his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, to win the race to ease the pressure on US-China trade relations.

China and the US have been involved in a tit-for-tat trade war, with both sides imposing tariffs on one another.

Listen & subscribe: Global Player | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify

President Trump has come in for criticism over his handling of the coronavirus crisis and comments he made at a White House press briefing over injecting disinfectant as a possible treatment for Covid-19.

The latest polling suggesting 43 per cent of Americans approving of his handling of the pandemic, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll on 27-28 April, days after the president’s discredited comments on injecting disinfectant.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the USA is over one million, more than a third of total worldwide cases.

Latest World News

See more Latest World News

Austria Navalny

Portraits of Alexei Navalny unveiled next to Soviet soldier monument in Vienna

Hawaii Wildfire

Hawaii fire survivors moving into housing but 3,000 still in hotels

Trump Investigations Eastman

Judge says former Trump lawyer should be debarred

The cargo ship Dali stuck under part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after the ship hit the bridge in Baltimore

Baltimore bridge collapse: Divers recover two bodies from water

Germany Bus Accident

Four killed in German bus accident

Two bodies have been recovered from the water where the Baltimore bridge collapsed.

Two victims of Baltimore bridge collapse named after bodies found 'trapped in truck' by divers

Disgraced Spanish football boss who grabbed and kissed Women's World Cup winner faces two-and-a-half-years in jail

Disgraced Spanish football boss who grabbed and kissed Women's World Cup winner faces two-and-a-half-years in jail

Crocus City Hall

Death toll in Moscow concert hall attack rises to 143

The Amazon logo

Amazon pours additional £2.1bn into AI start-up Anthropic

Jill Biden

Jill Biden writes children’s book about White House cat Willow

Ron DeSantis

Settlement reached in lawsuit between Florida governor Ron DeSantis and Disney

Beyonce

Beyonce shares Cowboy Carter track list ahead of album release

Ariana DeBose

Ariana DeBose to host Tony Awards for third straight time

Data expert Laura Kankaala is "skeptical" of the Chinese-owned e-commerce app

'Skeptical' data expert says she would not give up her personal details to Temu for £50

Oleksii Danilov

Ukraine’s President replaces top security official

Xi Jinping and US leaders

China’s Xi sounds positive note in meeting with US business leaders