Piers Morgan defended Donald Trump calling coronavirus ‘Chinese Virus’ and the internet was happy to put him right

John Plunkett. Updated March 18th, 2020

Here’s Piers Morgan defending his pal Donald Trump’s use of the phrase ‘Chinese Virus’ to describe coronavirus.

Seeing a lot of liberals & media getting very agitated by President Trump calling it the 'Chinese Virus'.
Yet everyone calls the last similar global pandemic 'Spanish Flu.'
What's the difference?

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) March 18, 2020

Not like Morgan to take the contrary position. Anyway, there were lots of people on Twitter willing and able to help him out. Here are our favourites.

The difference is that coronavirus has become the accepted term and "Chinese Virus" is a manufactured term designed specifically to play on nationalism and bigotry.

— COVID-DOOMERDAN (@kronstadtkool) March 18, 2020

100 years. https://t.co/kvMCoM7jRQ

— Susanna Reid (@susannareid100) March 18, 2020

Because it was never called Chinese Virus by anyone until they needed to deflect from their own incompetence.

— Craig (@craigvn) March 18, 2020

About 100 years. Oh, and the fact that Spanish Flu didn’t originate in Spain it was merely reported there first because Spain wasn’t under World War One censorship. You’re welcome. https://t.co/5lXz9TJ3u5

— Gavin Esler (@gavinesler) March 18, 2020

Here’s your answer. Make a list of words & phrases that were acceptable in 1920 and aren’t acceptable now, read them out on air, and then see how long it takes you to get fired.

— (@KirstieMAllsopp) March 18, 2020

So do we still call it Spanish Flu? I’m confused.

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) March 18, 2020

Piers I hate it when you pretend to be confused about something you’re not at all confused about. You’re too bright, too liberal and too well followed to indulge in this type of thing.

— (@KirstieMAllsopp) March 18, 2020

And I hate it when you’re so patronising. If we’re still going to use ‘Spanish Flu’ for the 1918 pandemic I see no problem in calling this Chinese Flu.

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) March 18, 2020

Calling it Chinese Flu could lead to xenophobic and racists attacks on people of Asian of origin. Trump is calling it that because he wants to be able to pin the “blame” on someone else. It’s a disgusting things to do. If you don’t want to be patronised don’t be an arse.

— (@KirstieMAllsopp) March 18, 2020

That’s not to say that Morgan wasn’t without his supporters.

They started it! Fcuk em’ and everyone else who’s ‘offended’ by it!

— R1CHJB (@R1CHJB) March 18, 2020

Simultaneously making everyone else’s point for them, you might think.