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Covid: Trump revives Chinese lab theory: new section on White House website

The US president reopens the dossier on the origin of the virus: ‘From the Wuhan lab’. Criticism of Fauci and former President Biden’s approach

In the midst of the trade war over tariffs between the United States and China, President Donald Trump brings the theory of the virus escaping from a Chinese laboratory back to the centre of public debate, relaunching it on the White House’s new website, Covid.gov. The portal, previously focused on vaccines, tests and health measures, has been revamped to host an alternative reconstruction of the pandemic’s origins, according to which Covid-19 emerged from the Wuhan laboratory.

The new homepage now features a full-length image of President Trump, accompanied by a series of criticisms of former President Joe Biden’s handling of the health emergency.

Also in the crosshairs is Anthony Fauci, former White House medical adviser during the Biden administration, who is accused of promoting a ‘preferred narrative’ linked to a natural origin of the virus. The website claims that ‘almost all scientific parameters’ now no longer support the hypothesis of natural transmission of the virus, and that if evidence existed, it would have emerged by now.

It also lists five key points to support the lab’s thesis, including the fact that Wuhan hosts China’s main centre for the study of SARS, and the reference to allegedly inadequate biosecurity levels.

The lab leak theory, initially branded as conspiracy theory, has gained ground in the US in recent months, including among members of the scientific and investigative community. The renewed revival by the White House comes at a time of growing diplomatic tensions between Washington and Beijing, aggravated by trade measures and cross-accusations over pandemic responsibilities.

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