Donald Trump uses racist term 'kung flu' to describe coronavirus sparking outrage online after his own adviser Kellyanne Conway called the phrase 'wrong and highly offensive'

Donald Trump on Saturday used the racist term 'kung flu' to describe COVID-19, sparking outrage online. 

The president, speaking in Tulsa, Oklahoma at his rally in three months, said of the virus: 'It has more names than any disease in history. I can name kung flu. I can name 19 different versions of names.'

His own adviser, Kellyanne Conway, in March called the term 'wrong and highly offensive' when it was suggested a White House official had used it in front of a Chinese American CBS reporter.  

But by Saturday night Trump was using the term to laughter and cheers from his supporters. 

Among those outraged by the comments was Captain America actor Chris Evans. 

He tweeted: 'Did the president of the United States just say ‘Kung flu’ at his rally? He made a racist joke. He made. A racist. Joke. To applause. I’m speechless.' 

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Donald Trump on Saturday used the racist term 'kung flu' to describe COVID-19

Among those outraged by the comments was Captain America actor Chris Evans

Law professor Jennifer Taub wrote: 'Trump is a racist pig. He just called Covid-19 “Kung Flu.”'

The coronavirus, which is believed to have originated in Wuhan, China, has been referred to by the president as the 'Wuhan virus' or the 'Chinese virus'

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The reference was not well received as dozens of people voiced their disgust on social media

Trump calls the coronavirus 'Kung flu' during rally in Tulsa

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The coronavirus, which is believed to have originated in Wuhan, China, has been referred to by the president as the 'Wuhan virus' or the 'Chinese virus'. 

Linking the virus, which has caused a pandemic that has claimed the lives of more than 119,000 Americans, to China has led to an uptick in hate crimes against Asian Americans in recent months.  

And the reference  was not well received as dozens of people voiced their disgust on social media Saturday night and into Sunday. 

Journalist Aaron Rupar said: ''Trump calls the coronavirus 'Kung flu' and then says, 'many call it a flu.' (Nobody with a working brain says that.)'

Law professor Jennifer Taub wrote: 'Trump is a racist pig. He just called Covid-19 “Kung Flu.”' 

Reporter Marc Caputo noted adviser Conway's comment in March, adding: 'Trump advisor @KellyannePolls said in March that 'Kung Flu' is offensive & called out @weijia for saying a WH official used the term with her: "you can’t just say that and not name them. Tell us who it was. Come up here and tell us who it was".' 

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The reaction to Trump's comments on Saturday was fierce, as Twitter users assailed the president for using racist language

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Trump's own adviser, Kellyanne Conway, in March called the term 'highly offensive'

The reaction to Trump's comments on Saturday was fierce, as Twitter users assailed the president for using racist language.    

Trump has repeatedly criticized China and its handling of the coronavirus outbreak. 

A photo of his notes from a March press briefing shows his script had been amended so the term 'corona virus' read 'Chinese virus'. 

Trump told reporters at the White House then that he used the description because the virus originated in the Wuhan province of China.

'It's not racist at all. It comes from China, that's why. It comes from China. I want to be accurate,' he said during a press briefing.  

Weijia Jiang, a reporter for CBS News, claimed in March that a White House official referred to coronavirus as the 'Kung Flu' right to her face. Jiang was born in China and raised in West Virginia.    

She did not identify the official, but Jiang mentioned the remark Wednesday morning to Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president.

'Of course it's wrong,' said Conway, who wanted to know the identity of the official. 

She called the reference 'highly offensive' and noted that she was married to an Asian American and that her children were 25 per cent Filipino. 'Why don't we go to the source and tell them that's very hurtful and unhelpful.'

On Saturday the president tried to defend his handling of the pandemic, even as cases continue to surge in many states, including Oklahoma.

The president also complained that robust testing was making his record look bad and suggested the testing effort should slow down. 

'Here´s the bad part. When you do testing to that extent, you´re going to find more cases,' Trump said. 'So I said to my people, `Slow the testing down.´ They test and they test.' 

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CBS News White House correspondent Weijia Jiang reported in March that a White House official referred to coronavirus as 'kung flu' to her face

The White House had promised the much-hyped event - Trump's first rally in three months - would be flooded with up to 100,000 people, but television images showed large sections of empty seating in the 19,000-capacity BOK Center.

A outdoor event for the overflow crowd was canceled because no one showed up, despite the campaign hyping huge interest ahead of time, with more than a million ticket requests.  

Trump had claimed 'thugs' blocked his supporters from filling the noticeably vacant seats at his rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  

Reports have been circulating in the last week that teen users of social media platform TikTok were block-booking tickets in a bid to embarrass the campaign.

Former Republican strategist and Trump critic Steve Schmidt said teenagers nationwide had ordered tickets without intending to turn up to ensure there would be empty seats. 

He looked fatigued as he returned to the White House early Sunday following his first campaign rally in nearly four months.

Saturday night marked Trump's first rally since campaigning was sidelined by the coronavirus crisis and since Joe Biden became the presumptive Democratic nominee. 

Polls show Biden leading Trump in their match up as voters give the president low marks for his handling of the pandemic and for his response to race relations after the death of George Floyd. 

In his nearly one hour and 41 minute speech, Trump railed against his rival 'Sleepy Joe' and claimed he was controlled by the 'radical left.' 

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 The White House had promised the much-hyped event - Trump's first rally in three months - would be flooded with up to 100,000 people, but television images showed large sections of empty seating in the 19,000-capacity BOK Center

His speech painted a fearful picture of life in America under a President Joe Biden, where people wouldn't be able to own a gun or go to church, and where mob rule would be a way of life.

His speech also contained the kind of political red meat his supporters like to hear: his support for a strong military, his criticism of protesters tearing down statues of Confederate Army officers, his demand that other nations stop 'ripping off' the United States, and his call for people who burn the American flag to serve one year in jail. 

Large gatherings in the United States were shut down in March because of the coronavirus. 

The Tulsa event was scheduled over the protests of local health officials as COVID-19 cases spiked in many states. 

The choice of host city and date - originally Friday, Juneteenth, in a city where a 1921 racist attack killed as many as 300 people - prompted anger and protests against racial injustice.