On April 18, President Donald Trump’s White House launched a controversial COVID-19 website that fueled the lab leak theory, blaming China for the origins of the pandemic. The site not only criticized the World Health Organization (WHO) but also took aim at former President Joe Biden and former top health official Anthony Fauci.
The website’s content echoed Trump’s long-standing stance that the coronavirus originated in a Chinese lab, rather than naturally, adding fuel to ongoing debates about the virus’s true origins. It also slammed pandemic responses such as social distancing, mask mandates, and lockdowns, which were widely implemented under Biden’s administration.
Trump’s criticism of WHO is no surprise, as he initiated a process to withdraw the United States from the organization during his presidency, citing dissatisfaction with WHO’s handling of the pandemic. The website also suggested that Fauci, who led the U.S. COVID response, should have hired his own security after Trump ended U.S. security support for him.
A CIA spokesperson mentioned in January that their assessment favored the lab leak theory, although they stated there was low confidence in this conclusion. However, China has consistently rejected these claims, accusing the U.S. of politicizing the investigation into COVID-19’s origins.
