Trump's Next Big Move is Coming, Adding Insult to Injury for the CCP

The image shows a representation of the CCP Virus (COVID-19 virus). (Pixabay)

[People News] On January 25, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) released an assessment report stating that the COVID-19 pandemic is more likely to have originated from an accidental leak at the Wuhan laboratory. This significant shift occurred after the new CIA Director, John Ratcliffe, appointed by the Trump administration, took office on January 23. The report directs attention to the CCP as a possible source of the virus, ending years of CIA indecision on the origins of COVID-19.

Although the conclusion is not based on new evidence, the analysis results from a comprehensive review of information on virus transmission, scientific characteristics, and the operations and conditions of Chinese virology labs. The CIA's assessment report has clearly pushed forward the investigation into the origins of the virus.

There have long been two main theories regarding the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic: natural spillover and a leak from the Wuhan virology laboratory. Since the outbreak's early days, the CCP has consistently covered up the truth, later concealing and destroying virus samples and lab data, making it challenging for the international community to gather evidence. However, prominent figures such as Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Senator Tom Cotton, former FBI Director Christopher Wray, and newly appointed CIA Director John Ratcliffe lean toward the laboratory leak theory.

During Trump’s first term as president, he was deceived by the CCP twice concerning the pandemic. At the onset of the outbreak, Beijing implemented various measures to obscure the truth, claiming that the virus was preventable and controllable. Although the virus began spreading in late November 2019, the CCP only reported an outbreak of an unidentified pneumonia to the World Health Organization (WHO) on December 31. Meanwhile, they blocked online information and cleared the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, which they claimed was the virus's source. On January 1, 2020, the CCP cracked down on whistleblowers, including Wuhan physician Li Wenliang and seven of his colleagues.

At this time, the WHO had essentially become a spokesperson for the CCP. On January 14, 2020, the WHO tweeted that there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan. On January 21, the WHO was allowed into Wuhan, but the investigation process was entirely dictated by the CCP. Despite investigators identifying human-to-human transmission, the WHO still refrained from declaring the Wuhan virus a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern." Wuhan went into lockdown on January 23, but even on January 30, the WHO praised the Chinese government's "commitment to transparency." On February 3, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus commended the CCP's pandemic response strategy, claiming it successfully prevented the outbreak from escalating. It is entirely understandable why Trump angrily withdrew from the WHO twice. The United States contributes 22% of the WHO’s annual budget, the highest among member nations, while the CCP only contributes 15%. Yet, the WHO consistently acted in service of the CCP.

During the early stages of the Wuhan virus outbreak, China and the U.S. were in the process of signing the first phase of their trade agreement. The CCP representatives did not mention the virus at all, acting as though nothing had happened. Trump, his administration officials, and the entire U.S. were kept in the dark by the CCP. Former U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor Matthew Pottinger, who had reported on SARS for The Wall Street Journal in 2003, learned from his connections in China’s healthcare sector and medical professionals that a pandemic was imminent. A highly placed Chinese doctor privately told Pottinger: "This is the 1918 Spanish flu."

Pottinger and then-National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien immediately reported the matter to Trump. At that time, most U.S. government officials were unaware of the urgency of the situation. Trusting his instincts, Trump felt he had been deceived by the CCP. O’Brien and Pottinger recommended Trump restrict travel from China to the U.S. Although officials like Anthony Fauci, former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows opposed the idea, Trump decisively closed the borders, imposed travel bans, and referred to the virus as the "CCP virus."

Peter Navarro, who served as Trump’s Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, was one of the few senior officials who issued early warnings. Navarro wrote a series of memos to Trump, warning that this was a repeat of the 1918 Spanish flu, possibly even more severe. He cautioned that if the U.S. did not act swiftly to contain the virus, the consequences could be catastrophic—up to 100 million infections, 1-2 million deaths, and $3.8 trillion in economic losses. Subsequent events proved Navarro’s predictions were alarmingly accurate.

Trump's second deception by the CCP stemmed from direct communication with Xi Jinping. At the time, Beijing was focused on "mask diplomacy," silencing global critics with large-scale mask exports rather than halting the virus's spread. According to officials present during a call between Trump and Xi on February 6, 2020, Xi misled Trump. Trump requested that U.S. CDC officials be allowed into Wuhan, which was under lockdown, to assist in investigating the virus. Xi refused and instead criticized the U.S. for restricting travel. Xi falsely claimed that China had the virus under control, that it posed no international threat, and that it was sensitive to temperature, assuring Trump that the virus would disappear with warmer weather in April. When the virus began spreading widely in the U.S., it became clear to Trump and his team that they had been deceived. This deception fueled Trump’s determination to pursue investigations into the virus's origins and demand accountability.

U.S. officials and researchers discovered that Chinese scientists had been conducting coronavirus research using mouse models for years before the Wuhan outbreak. Scientists like Shi Zhengli in Beijing and Wuhan conducted tests on mice modified with human ACE2 receptors in unsafe laboratory environments. These unprecedented, high-risk experiments, shrouded in secrecy, represent just the tip of the iceberg of the CCP's covert activities. While the virus itself may not have been deliberately engineered, the engineered animal hosts used for testing raise suspicions. This could explain how the virus evolved so quickly from something naturally occurring to a global pandemic with devastating consequences for humanity.

U.S. scientists also found that Shi Zhengli's published papers linking the coronavirus to bat viruses could not withstand scientific scrutiny. Critical data was deliberately omitted, and some information appeared to be outright false. This has led to reasonable doubts that the Wuhan Institute of Virology may have fabricated information to support the natural spillover theory. Shi Zhengli’s insistence on linking the virus to bats seems intended to mislead the public into believing in zoonotic transmission while covering up years of gain-of-function experiments involving humanized mice.

New CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who took office under Trump in 2023, has stated that "a lab leak is the only theory supported by science, intelligence, and common sense." Ratcliffe added, "From my conversations with President Trump, it is clear that his priorities focus on threats to U.S. national security, and he believes these threats originate from China."

Since returning to office, Trump has adopted a powerful and strategic approach to counter the CCP. From tariffs and Panama Canal issues to resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict and tracing the origins of the virus, Trump’s administration has exhibited a commanding style. 2025 promises to bring an intense cat-and-mouse game between Trump and the CCP.

(First published in People News)