While Minneapolis Is in Turmoil, Trump Delivers Speech on China

By Will Thorne

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – President Donald Trump gave a press conference on Friday, where many expected him to address the riots taking place in Minnesota sparked by George Floyd’s death.

However, Trump focused entirely on China and the coronavirus. The main takeaway from his speech is his intent to pull the United States out of the World Health Organization, a body which it was key in helping create in conjunction with the United Nations.

Trump blamed China for “pressuring the World Health Organization to mislead the world,” claiming that China has “
total
control”
over
the WHO.

“We
will
be
today
terminating
our
relationship
with
the
World
Health
Organization
and
redirecting
those
funds
to
other
worldwide
and
deserving
urgent
global
public
health
needs,” Trump said. “
The
world
needs
answers
from
China
on
the
virus.
We
must
have
transparency.” 

Trump took no questions after the speech, despite reporters in the White House Rose Garden leaping to their feet to ask about his response to the riots taking place in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Earlier on Friday, former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin, who was seen in video footage placing pressure on Floyd’s neck with his knee, despite protests from Floyd and bystanders, was charged with Floyd’s murder . Three other officers were dismissed from their posts following Floyd’s death, and protestors have been demanding that all officers be arrested in the case.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said at a separate news conference earlier today that the unrest in Minneapolis and St. Paul is the result of “generations of pain, of anguish” over racism in policing.

“Their voices went unheard, and now generations of pain is manifesting itself in front of the world,” Walz said. “And the world is watching.”