American mayor becomes tool in Chinese coronavirus propaganda

Mayor Michael Melham of Belleville, New Jersey appeared on Chinese state-owned media network CGTN to discuss his experience with the novel coronavirus—which he believes happened in November of 2019, more than a month before the virus was reported by both China or the World Health Organization.

While Mayor Melham may not have intended to be used as a tool in Chinese state propaganda, it's exactly what happened. In the interview, Melham states: "I by no means am using a potential positive case in November to assign blame to any country, to any organization. I am merely saying that I have a voice."

"I'm here to say that I believe I was sick in November. I believe there's a lot of evidence that supports that. And I believe there are thousands, if not tens of thousands that can come with me on that," Melham continues.

"We all hear about how COVID-19 didn't really exist here in the U.S. until January," Melham said. "That is obviously not the case. I am living, breathing proof that we were all dealing with it months earlier."

State media network CGTN went with the spin, writing: Newsweek Magazine has reported that the coronavirus outbreak could have started as early as mid-September, and that the Chinese city of Wuhan may not be where it began.

Based on what we know, the virus indeed started in Wuhan, and may have even potentially leaked from a nearby lab. It's also been reported that cases in Wuhan were detected a full month before its existence was officially announced.

This spin of an American mayor's report of a really bad cold in November is the latest weapon in an arsenal of accusations from Chinese state media in an attempt to relieve that nation's government of responsibility for a global pandemic. China's lack of action has caused a massive, worldwide contagion the likes of which have not been seen since the 1917 Spanish Flu, with a resulting economic devastation.

Lijian Zhao quoted a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, who drove the narrative home in a tweet, saying: "More reports on previously undiscovered COVID-19 cases are emerging. New Jersey mayor was infected in November; 171 cases in Florida by January & NONE had been to China. What else hasn’t been revealed in the US?"

The US, in turn, doubled down on pinning China for their actions. It was around that same time that President Donald Trump began referring to the virus as the "China virus," a term that is factually correct, as COVID-19 originated in China, and is a virus.