Former U.S President Donald Trump is being sued by a civil rights group for using racist terms such as "China Virus."
The suit claims that Trump's use of alleged racist language had caused harm to the country's Chinese American communities, which have been the victims of a string of violent crimes in recent months.
The Chinese American Civil Rights Coalition, the group that filed the lawsuit against the former president, said it was "pissed off" over Trump's continued use of terms such as "Chinese Virus," "Kung Flu" and the "Wuhan Virus" when referring to the coronavirus. Trump repeatedly used the terms on social media and in public conferences while he was still president.
According to the lawsuit, Trump's use of the terms contributed to a recent rise in violent crimes against Chinese and Asian Americans. The suit claims Trump should have known better not to use such terms but he still proceeded to do so on many occasions.
In one instance, Trump famously crossed out the word "coronavirus" from his March 2020 speech and replaced it with "Chinese virus." The CACRC said Trump shouldn't have used those terms as there was no concrete proof that the virus had actually originated from China.
The CACRC said Trump's use of the terms effectively worked as a "dog whistle" to his legions of supporters, which consequently led to increased hate toward Asian Americans throughout the country.
Under the lawsuit, the group is asking the courts to find Trump guilty of defamation and infliction of emotional distress to millions of Asian Americans. The suit is asking for damages of at least $1 for every Asian American and Pacific Islander living in the United States. This translates to about $22.9 million.
The CACRC said if it was given the amount, it plans to use the funds to build a museum that would showcase the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to the country throughout its history.
