Israel Receives Body of Deceased Hostage as Rafah Crossing Reopening Hinges on Final Returns 
UN General Assembly Demands Russia Return Ukrainian Children Amid Ongoing Conflict 
Pentagon Probe Finds Hegseth’s Use of Signal Risked Exposing Sensitive Yemen Strike Details 
Taiwan Opposition Criticizes Plan to Block Chinese App Rednote Over Security Concerns 
Australia and Japan Strengthen Defence Cooperation Amid Rising Regional Tensions 
Taiwan Signals Openness to Renew Ties with Honduras as Election Unfolds 
Trump and Lula Discuss Trade, Sanctions, and Security in “Productive” Phone Call 
U.S. Defense Chief Pete Hegseth Defends Controversial Second Strike on Suspected Drug-Smuggling Vessel 
Hong Kong Faces Low Turnout in “Patriots-Only” Election Amid Public Grief After Deadly Fire 
Trump Claims He Will Void Biden Documents Signed with Autopen 
U.S.-Russia Talks Leave Ukraine Peace Efforts Uncertain 
U.S. Justice Department Orders Intensified Probe Into Antifa and Domestic Extremist Groups 
Maduro Confirms “Respectful” Call With Trump, Signals Openness to Diplomatic Dialogue 
Trump Administration Halts Immigration, Green Card, and Citizenship Processing for 19 Countries 
Trump Administration Tightens H-1B Visa Vetting With New Focus on Free Speech and Censorship 
New Orleans Immigration Crackdown Sparks Fear as Federal Arrests Intensify 
China Urged to Prioritize Economy Over Territorial Ambitions, Says Taiwan’s President Lai 
Lately, President Donald Trump has criticized China and how it handled the outbreak of the coronavirus. This comes as a change when Trump previously praised China’s response to the pandemic when it first broke out.
CNN reports that in February, Trump continuously praised the efforts of Xi Jinping’s administration in containing the spread of the coronavirus when it first broke out in Wuhan, China, in 2019. According to the CNN KFile review, Trump apparently praised China 12 times in February and tweeted a few times about how they are handling what would now become a pandemic back in January.
On February 7th, Trump tweeted praise towards China once again for their handling of the pandemic. “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 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 successful operation. We are working closely with China to help!”
As to how Trump changed his tone regarding China over the past few days, Trump stated to CNN White House correspondent Jeremy Diamond, “China has worked very hard. China was transparent at the time, but when we saw what happened, they could have been transparent much earlier than they were.”
Trump has since criticized China for the outbreak, saying that “the world is paying a very big price for what they did.” and has even referred to the pandemic as the “China virus,” opening a wave of backlash as it was deemed racist.
Meanwhile, as the lawmakers in the House and Senate prepare their coronavirus stimulus bill for the American public to keep the economy afloat, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that the Trump Organization would be excluded from the bailout money. The organization, run by Trump’s eldest sons, Don Jr. and Eric Trump, controls several hotels, resorts, and golf clubs, including the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
At the same time, the businesses owned by vice president Mike Pence will also be excluded from receiving bailout money, as will the businesses owned by cabinet members, Congress, and lawmakers.
