Donald Trump tells Chinese-American reporter to 'ask China' during press conference

President Donald Trump abruptly ended his press conference on Monday after a heated exchange in which he asked an Asian-American journalist to "ask China" when she questioned him about why he was making the coronavirus pandemic into a competition. He then refused to take a query from another White House reporter.

Weijia Jang, a White House correspondent for CBS News, asked Trump why he sees COVID-19 testing as a global competition when over 80,000 Americas have lost their lives.

"Maybe that's a question you should ask China," Trump responded to the reporter, who was born in China and immigrated to the US at the age of two. "Don't ask me. Ask China that question, OK?" he added.

Watch a clip of the exchange below: 

Trump then attempted to change the subject by accepting a question from a White House correspondent for CNN, Kaitlan Collins, but Jiang intercepted with a follow-up question.

"Sir, why are you saying that to me specifically?" Jiang asked. "I'm telling you," Trump replied. "I'm not saying it specifically to anybody. I'm saying it to anybody that asks a nasty question."
"That's not a nasty question," Jiang responded. "Why does it matter?" Trump again attempted to take another question from a different reporter, but Collins, who had let Jiang ask the president her follow up questions, approached the microphone, saying "I have two questions."
"No, it's OK," Trump replied. "But you pointed to me," Collins said. "I have two questions, Mr. President. You called on me."

Credit: 2005

"I did," Trump said. "And you didn't respond, and now I'm calling on the young lady in the back."

"I just wanted to let my colleague finish," Collins responded. "But can I ask you a question?"

Trump proceeded to end the press conference, "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much," he said, before leaving the Rose garden.

The president has faced widespread criticism on account of his actions, with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders denouncing the exchange as "pretty pathetic".

"Mr. Trump is a coward who tears down others to make himself feel powerful," he wrote on Twitter.