In one of Donald Trump’s recent tweets about the coronavirus outbreak, the U.S. president referred to the illness as the “Chinese Virus.”
He wrote:
The United States will be powerfully supporting those industries, like Airlines and others, that are particularly affected by the Chinese Virus. We will be stronger than ever before!
This caught the attention of former Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin, who responded to the remarks on Twitter:
I wish you would powerfully support the vulnerable people that will suffer due to our mismanagement of this virus, including those that will be affected by the racism you’re empowering.
And I don’t wanna hear about no German measles/Spanish flu [because] everyday Asian-Americans including (people) I know are threatened and physically attacked. I don’t give a crap about the history of names (right now). What I do know is this subtle anti-Chinese message only empowers more hate towards Asians.
🤦🏻♂️I wish you would powerfully support the vulnerable people that will suffer due to our mismanagement of this virus, including those that will be affected by the racism you’re empowering https://t.co/QfRHiOFGEm
— Jeremy Lin (@JLin7) March 17, 2020
Lin also expressed how he’s “not good with the old school Asian model minority stigma where we won’t speak up or stand up for ourselves.”
“In times like now, we truly, truly need to stay united,” he added. “Let’s fight this virus TOGETHER!! Wash your hands, practice social distancing, take this seriously, stay safe.”