Jeremy Lin Criticizes President Trump for Calling COVID-19 'Chinese Virus'

Jeremy Lin called out President Donald Trump for his use of the term "Chinese Virus" to describe the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing that Trump is empowering racism.

On Monday, Trump tweeted that the U.S. would support industries affected by the spread of the "Chinese Virus," which is commonly known as the coronavirus or COVID-19. 

Lin responded the following day by asking the president to "support the vulnerable people that will suffer due to our mismanagement of this virus, including those that will be affected by the racism you’re empowering."

Lin, born in Torrance, Calif., is of Taiwanese descent. He currently plays for the Beijing Ducks after spending nine years in the NBA, where his popularity soared during the 2011–12 season with the Knicks and "Linsanity."

Trump later defended his use of the term during a coronavirus briefing at the White House.

"It's not racist at all," Trump said, according to The New York Times. "It comes from China, that’s why."

Health officials have tried to avoid naming infectious diseases after people or places to reduce discriminatory behavior. In 2015, the World Health Organization released stricter guidelines for naming viruses.

Backlash against Asians has occurred during the spread of the coronavirus, which first emerged in Wuhan, China, three months ago and eventually stretched across the globe. In one prominent case, a 23-year-old student at the University of London was attacked and beaten on the street by a group of people in February. The student, who is from Singapore, told the BBC a man kicked him and shouted, "I don't want your coronavirus in my country.'"

On Tuesday, an Asian woman was assaulted in Manhattan when a woman spat in her face, pulled her hair and blamed her for spreading the virus. The following day New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the city's Hate Crime Task Force was investigating the physical assault.

"To be clear, there is zero evidence that people of Asian descent bear any additional responsibility for the transmission of the coronavirus," Cuomo said, according to ABC News.

There are more than 218,700 confirmed cases of the virus across at least 147 countries.