Vast majority of Americans blame China for US death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic

President Donald Trump has been calling the coronavirus the "Chinese virus" for months. When questioned by reporters why he calls it the "Chinese virus," Trump responded. "Because it comes from China. That's why. I want to be accurate." Trump is not alone in holding China responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. A new poll found nearly three-fourths of Americans blame China for U.S. coronavirus deaths.

A Morning Consult survey asked 2,200 U.S. adults who or what they believe to be responsible for the high coronavirus death toll in the United States, which is currently almost at 80,000. There were 73% of respondents who said the Chinese government was responsible. Broken down by political party lines, 80% of Republicans said China was to blame, compared to 71% of Democrats.

This comes in the same week that the San Antonio City Council unanimously passed a resolution declaring coronavirus-related terms such as the "Chinese virus" and "Kung Flu Virus" to be hate speech.

There were 73% of respondents that said Americans who didn't practice social distancing were "somewhat" or "very" responsible for the current death toll in the U.S. from the COVID-19 pandemic. There were 84% of Democrats who said it was fellow Americans at fault for the high death toll for not social distancing, versus 67% of Republicans.

The other parties or organizations responsible for the high death toll in the U.S., according to the poll were Americans who traveled internationally (66%), the federal government (62%), governments of other countries (60%), and the Trump administration (59%).

Another Morning Consult poll were asked about their trust of leadership during the post-pandemic economy. The survey found that 43% of Americans believe in Trump to handle the economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to 39% who trust former Vice President Joe Biden.

When it comes to containing the spread of coronavirus, 39% of Americans believe in Biden, versus 37% for President Trump.