BackIndia has just been devastated by COVID-19: Donald Trump
In an interview, Trump demanded that China should pay $10 trillion as compensation to the US
PremiumFormer US president Donald Trump cited India to exemplify countries devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Repeating rhetoric during a TV interview on Thursday, the 75-year-old Republic blamed China for the global crisis, demanding that the Asian nation should pay $10 trillion to the US as compensation.
Talking to Fox News, Trump stated that China should in fact pay more as compensation to the world, but this is what they can pay.
“The number (compensation) is much higher than that. But there's only so much they can pay. And that's to us (United States). The number is bigger throughout the world. Look, countries have been destroyed over what they did, and whether by accident or not. And I would hope that it was an accident. I hope that it was through incompetence or an accident," Trump said in response to a question.
“But, when you look, whether it was by an accident, whether it was -- whatever it is, this -- you look at these countries. They will never, ever be the same. Our country was hit so hard. But other countries were hit much harder," he added.
To make his point, Trump gave the example of India, which is currently experiencing its worst ever public health crisis amid a second Covid-19 wave while preparing for a probable third wave.
“Look at what's going on in India now. You know, they used to say, look how well India was doing, because they were always looking for an excuse -- look how well India is doing. The fact that India has just been devastated now, and virtually, every country has been devastated," Trump said.
“I think that's one of the reasons that I feel it's very important to find out where it came from, how it came. I think I know. I mean, I feel certain about it. But certainly, China should help. Right now, their economy and our economy are the two economies that are coming back the fastest," he argued.
The first report of coronavirus outbreak came from Wuhan in China in December 2019. One-and-a-half years later the world is still trying to emerge from its worst crisis in centuries. Millions of lives have been lost or derailed across the globe due to disruptions that followed.
Trump has been a strong proponent of the theory that the coronavirus may have leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in central China's Wuhan city. Back home, he himself has been repeatedly blamed for mismanaging the pandemic, resulting in numerous deaths across then nation.
The total number of coronavirus cases globally stands at 177,136,569, whereas 3,835,123 people have succumbed to the virus, as per the Johns Hopkins University tracker on Thursday.
India, which won praise for its reaction to the first wave of Covid-19, was hit with a much devastating second wave, leaving lakhs of people dead. As public and administrative attitudes relaxed, election campaigns across the nation and religious gatherings turned into super-spreader events. The resultant surge in Covid-19 cases during April was met with a medical system stretched thin as medicines, medical oxygen and hospital beds were found in short supply.
However, the condition has started to come under control now. The initial hiccups in the nation's vaccination programme are being fixed too for wider and quicker coverage.
(With agency inputs)
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