In response to containing the spread of COVID-19, the issue has now evolved into pointing fingers, and Florida Democrats say that President Trump is to blame.
In a new development, Florida Democrats are citing a study by ProPublica, an investigative news nonprofit, which found that President Trump and his administration’s investigation into Chinese scientists at American Universities has forced them to return to China.
Weihong Tan, a scientist and professor at the University of Florida, who is now working at Hunan University, has been an active participant in trying to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. It’s reported that Tan has developed a coronavirus test that produces results in only 40 minutes, which is dramatically quicker than the tests that are currently being produced in the United States.
Florida Democrats are blaming President Trump for driving away Tan, who is now leading the fight against COVID-19 from China, and Democrats argue that this has not only put American lives in danger.
This comes at a time when President Trump has faced scrutiny over allegedly inciting xenophobia against Asians and Asian Americans.
To this, ProPublica argues that it “highlights a disturbing irony about the U.S. crackdown; it is unwittingly helping China achieve a long-frustrated goal of luring back top scientific talent.”
Earlier in the week, some of President Trump's House Democratic detractors, Reps. Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley, both praised the president over his response to the pandemic.
“Politics aside, this is incredible and the right response in this critical time,” said Rep. Omar
There are now 390 reported cases of the virus in Florida, with 9 deaths.
