Nancy Pelosi calls on GOP leader Kevin McCarthy to delete 'bigoted' coronavirus tweet

On Tuesday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) provoked outrage when he referred to the coronavirus as "Chinese coronavirus" in a tweet — the subtext being that the disease was the fault of Chinese people.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was one of the most prominent voices, calling on him to apologize and take down the tweet:

To some degree, Republicans were not entirely responsible for this problem. Some media outlets, like the Washington Post, have also used the term "Chinese coronavirus." But CDC Director Robert Redfield has clarified that this is not an appropriate name for the illness, and the World Health Organization has stated that "The official name for the disease [COVID-19] was deliberately chosen to avoid stigmatization."

McCarthy is not alone, however, in wanting to attach Chinese blame to the name of the virus. President Donald Trump has referred to the disease as "China Virus," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has used the term "Wuhan Virus," and far-right Daily Wire host Andrew Klavan even suggested calling it "the yellow peril."