Donald Trump is reportedly being sued for $22 million after his continued use of terms like "Chinese Virus" when referring to Covid.
According to a lawsuit that has been obtained by TMZ, the civil rights group known as the Chinese American Civil Rights Coalition (CACRC) is suing the former president for approximately $22.9 million.
The CACRC is alleging defamation and infliction of emotional distress for his continued use of phrases such as "China virus", "Wuhan virus" and "Kung Flu" when addressing the Covid pandemic both during and after his time in the Oval Office.
Per The Independent, the former POTUS was and continues to be slammed by critics for using such terms, alleging how the targeted language has led to discrimination and an increase in violence against Asian-Americans.
News outlets such as NBC News also reported how the use of terms like "China virus" by officials led to an increase in Anti-Asian bias.
Research published in the journal Health Education & Behavior showed that the increase in such language on social media and in news outlets resulted in an "offset more than three years of declines in bias" against Asian-Americans.
Additionally, per CBS News, a study based on police department statistics across major US cities in March showed a nearly 150% surge in reports of anti-Asian hate crimes in 2020.
Despite many publications and experts agreeing that the global pandemic originated in Wuhan, China, TMZ reports that the CACRC has claimed in its lawsuit that Donald Trump should never have used such language because the origins are still not entirely clear.
Trump was further criticized for using such terms following the fallout of the Georgia spas shootings in March, which saw eight people - many of whom were of Asian descent - killed.
The CACRC is now demanding near-$22.9 million from Trump - $1 for every Asian American and Pacific Islander living in the United States.
