The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday agreed that it was “absolutely wrong” for President Trump to label the 2019 novel coronavirus as the “China Virus.” “It’s absolutely wrong and inappropriate to call this the Chinese coronavirus, I assume you would agree with that?” Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL) reportedly asked CDC director Robert Redfield, who agreed. The novel coronavirus outbreak, which is believed to have originated in a large seafood and live animal market in Wuhan, China, has reportedly led to a surge in racist and xenophobic verbal and physical attacks around the globe. The World Health Organization named the disease COVID-19 to deter people from associating the virus with a location or group of people, which can ultimately lead to stigmatization. The president, however, reposted a tweet from conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on Tuesday referring to the disease as the “China Virus” and calling for the U.S.-Mexico border wall to be constructed. Trump added, “Going up fast. We need the Wall more than ever!”

Several top GOP members and Trump allies have also used names associating China with the disease, such as Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who called it the “Wuhan virus” last week. Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA), among several other Democrats, condemned Trump’s usage of the term: “Will stop spread of the coronavirus: washing your hands/staying home if you’re sick,” she said, adding, “Won’t stop the spread of coronavirus: racism/xenophobia.”