Fox & Friends and Mike Pompeo try to rebrand coronavirus as “the Wuhan virus”
The World Health Organization has urged people not to call it that
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From the March 6, 2020, edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends
JEDEDIAH BILA (FOX & FRIENDS WEEKEND CO-HOST): Shifting over to the coronavirus, many Americans deeply concerned about the spread of this virus and want to have confidence that the administration is taking it seriously, taking proper steps. Can you reassure the public in any way on that?
MIKE POMPEO (SECRETARY OF STATE): So, it's a complicated challenge. The Wuhan virus that began at the end of last year is something that this administration is taking incredibly seriously. State Department's been very involved from the beginning when we worked diligently to get hundreds of Americans out of Hubei province, out of Wuhan, and get them back to the United States safely. We continue to work around the world. We've provided assistance to the Chinese government, not just what the CDC and our technical health care professionals are doing, but trying to make sure they have the medical supplies they need to stop the spread of this globally. That's my mission at the State Department. The Vice President has got the con on all of the missions but we've got an important role too, to make sure we get travel restrictions right, that we get travel advisories right so that we know who is coming across our border, who is coming into the country that may present risks to Americans here at home.
STEVE DOOCY (CO-HOST): We're starting a little behind the eight ball though, because China had this festering. They knew about it and they didn't tell us anything about it.
POMPEO: The data set out of China has been imperfect.
BILA: Shocking, shocking.
DOOCY: That's a police way of saying they were keeping us in the dark.
PETE HEGSETH (FOX & FRIENDS WEEKEND CO-HOST): You called it the Wuhan virus. And I haven't -- that's an accurate way to depict where it's coming from, but does it also show the vulnerabilities the president has talked about for a long time? In an interconnected world where we are dependent on a geopolitical adversary for so many things, how do you manage the fact that we are interconnected while rejecting the globalists who say that's the way it has to be?
POMPEO: Pete, that's a really good point. As a first matter, the Chinese Communist Party has said that this is where the virus started. Don't take my word for it. Take theirs. They are right on this one. But second, this does highlight the risks when you have an interconnected world. It's enormous opportunities. We sell products, we create wealth through this interconnectivity. But when you have an entity like the Chinese Communist Party who is providing data sets that aren't transparent and aren't clear, this is the risk that gets -- that is increased. And it's why wherever we are working, South Korea, Italy, other places that have had big outbreaks, we welcome the fact that they are open and transparent. We need to do the same all across the world, and when we do, I'm confident. We have taken this seriously. We will continue to work and we will reduce risks not only to Americans but to people all around the world from this virus.