On Friday, March 26, Ohio's Republican Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted made headlines when he tweeted a racist message spreading anti-Asian hate.
Husted tweeted an article featuring former CDC director Robert Redfield's personal belief—supported by zero evidence—the viral pathogen behind the global pandemic "escaped" from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
He also wrote in the tweet:
"So it appears it was the Wuhan Virus after all?"
Many were flabbergasted Husted would choose this moment, following the murders of six Asian women in Georgia, to double down on such racially charged unsupported rhetoric.
Twitter wanted Husted to delete the tweet.
Many called for his resignation.
Husted then attempted to backtrack on his first tweet, saying his intention was only to criticize the Chinese government.
For many, however, Husted's explanation didn't ring true.
Especially when such afterthought context would likely be ignored by large swaths of his base.
Prior to being criticized for racist tweets, Husted drew frequent backlash for his Anti-LGBTQ+ views.
Despite what he claims, Husted is well aware as a public official health experts have strongly discouraged leaders from using terms like "Wuhan virus" since they tend to stigmatize people of Asian descent.
Husted ignored this wisdom to quickly "own the libs" and may have put his own Asian constituents in danger in the process.
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