US President Donald Trump has come under fire after telling an Asian-American reporter to "ask China" why more than 2,000 Americans were dying from the coronavirus each day.
CBS White House correspondent Weijia Jiang asked the president why he kept claiming the US was outperforming the world in COVID-19 testing throughout Tuesday's press briefing.
"Why is this a global competition to you if every day Americans are still losing their lives and we're still seeing more cases every day?" Ms Jiang asked.
"Don't ask me, ask China that question," Mr Trump responded.
"They're losing their lives everywhere in the world and maybe that's a question you should ask China."
Ms Jiang, a Chinese-born American citizen, challenged the president's response.
President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus during a press briefing on Tuesday. Source: AP
"Sir, why are you saying that to me specifically?" she asked.
Mr Trump responded: "I'm not saying it specifically to anybody, I'm saying it to anybody who would ask a nasty question like that."
The president then called on another reporter for a question but abruptly left the podium and ended the press briefing before she could ask it.
Asian-Americans took to social media to call out the president's comments, with US congressman Ted Lieu accusing him of "dividing our nation".
"Dear Donald Trump, Asian Americans are Americans," Mr Lieu tweeted.
"Some of us served on active duty in the US military. Some are on the frontlines fighting this pandemic as paramedics and healthcare workers. Some are reporters like Weijia."
Doctor Eugene Gu, who is helping to treat COVID-19 patients, called the president's comments "flagrantly racist, demeaning, and unacceptable".
"Weijia Jiang is an Asian American reporter who simply asked Trump why he’s treating coronavirus testing like a competition between countries out of prideful vanity when Americans are dying," he wrote.
Mr Trump has previously been accused of spreading anti-Chinese sentiment since COVID-19's outbreak, repeatedly referring to the disease as "the Chinese virus".
Last week, about the pandemic.
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