The co-host of ABC’s “The View,” Meghan McCain, apologised on Monday for defending President Trump and others who used racist, anti-Asian names for the new coronavirus and COVID-19.
Senator John McCain tweeted, “I condemn the deplorable violence and bigotry that has been hurled on the Asian-American community.”
Many of these attacks were undoubtedly driven by Donald Trump’s racist language, and I regret for anything I may have said in the past that helped advance his cause.
Trump persisted in using the derogatory terms “China virus,” “Chinese virus,” and “kung flu” throughout the course of last year, which studies suggest contributed to the rise of anti-Asian prejudice.
Since the pandemic is thought to have begun in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, the 36-year-old Republican, whose late father was Arizona senator and Trump foe John McCain, declared a year ago that the 45th president was within his rights to use the term “China Virus.”
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The Recent Epidemic of Violence Against Asian-Americans has Caused McCain to Reconsider her Stance.
While some of McCain’s Twitter followers criticised her for retracting her views after being called out by Oliver, others praised her for doing so. On March 18, 2020, McCain expressed that placing blame on China was an acceptable course of action, and others agreed.
McCain said last year on “The View” that he didn’t mind people naming the virus by whatever name they wanted, as long as people understood that it had its origins in Wuhan. To which she said, “I don’t have a problem with it.”
Upon hearing this, Oliver remarked, “Oh good, Meghan McCain doesn’t have a problem with that. Don’t pay attention to the dozens of Asian Americans who are warning you that the term is racist and disrespectful.
Instead, let’s listen to the advice of a wealthy white woman who looks like she’s preparing to fire 47 people because of Zoom.
McCain tweeted “Stop Asian Hate” days before the Last Week Tonight broadcast and criticised the Atlanta police for “providing cover” to the shooter who killed eight people, six of whom were Asian women, by suggesting he had a “poor day.”
Last year, during a panel discussion on “The View,” McCain said that people’s fears about the names that people like President Trump given COVID-19 were overstated and that they were “a terrific way to get Trump reelected,” as Oliver joked on his show on Sunday.
Conclusion
McCain’s statement of regret follows the murder of six Asian women at three massage parlours in the Atlanta region last week by a white man who told authorities that his actions were motivated by sexual frustration.
Other anti-Asian incidents have occurred across the country in recent weeks. Assaults against elderly Asian Americans have been reported around the country, including a recent case in San Francisco, California.
Also targeted was a Los Angeles Buddhist temple that predominantly served the Asian American community.
