Though Trump said he would stop referring to the “Wuhan virus,” his administration appears committed enough to the term to tank a statement on one of the most pressing crises in the post-war period
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Since at least August, this year’s Group of Seven conference has been a fraught topic for the Trump administration. Seven months and a dozen-or-so crises ago, the President pushed to hold the summit at the lovely Trump National Doral Miami Golf Resort. Despite his promise that he would not “make any money” from hosting a high-profile event at his struggling vacation complex — not to mention the reports that Trump has overcharged the U.S.
From there, the G7 was moved to Pittsburgh, until an in-person meeting was deemed too risky due to potential coronavirus exposure and the Trump administration called for a tele-summit. But don’t think that phoning in would stop the Trump White House from frustrating the other member countries.
While Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described the disagreements at the conference as tactical in nature, a European official told the Post that the dispute over the Trump administration’s preferred phrase was the most significant obstacle to a consensus.
Though the president said on Monday he would stop referring to COVID-19 as “Chinese virus” and the “Wuhan virus,” his administration appears committed to the terms enough to tank a statement from a major intergovernmental organization on one of the most pressing crises in the post-war period.
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