President Trump: China could face consequences for outbreak
A security guard puts on a protective face mask as he stands guard at the closed gates of the Forbidden City, usually crowded with tourists before the new coronavirus outbreak, in Beijing, Sunday, April 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 10:53 AM PT — Sunday, April 19, 2020
China may face consequences for its role in the coronavirus pandemic. On Saturday, President Trump said China could be punished if it’s determined the country was knowingly responsible for the outbreak and didn’t take measures to control it.
China has claimed to have less than 4,700 coronavirus deaths. Both China and the World Health Organization have vouched for the credibility of these numbers, despite U.S. reports that alleged otherwise.
However, President Trump’s administration believes the country underreported those numbers.
“There is never an excuse to not share information,” stated Dr. Deborah Birx. “When you are the first country to have an outbreak, you really have a moral obligation to the world to not only talk about it, but provide that information that’s critical to the rest of the world to really respond to this credibly.”
President Donald Trump points to China on a graph as White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx speaks about mortality rates during a coronavirus task force briefing at the White House, Saturday, April 18, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
The White House is currently investigating how the outbreak began.
“We’re doing a very thorough examination of this horrible situation that happened,” announced President Trump.
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