A post claiming that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was artificially created in a laboratory has been posted on the official White House website.
According to the Washington Post (WP) on the 18th (local time), the White House posted a message on its website titled "Laboratory leak," stating that the COVID-19 virus was created in a Chinese laboratory.
The White House identified that the virus did not infect humans from wild animals in 2020, but rather pointed to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) as the source of the virus leak. Research on virus mutations was conducted at the WIV, and researchers affiliated with it were said to have been infected with a virus similar to COVID-19 since the fall of 2019.
This content is in line with a report released last year by the House Oversight Committee led by the Republican Party. In fact, the White House made it possible to download the House report from its website at that time.
James Comer, a Republican and Chairperson of the House Oversight Committee, noted in a statement, "President Donald Trump provided the American people with the truth about COVID-19."
However, U.S. intelligence authorities also have differing views on the origins of COVID-19. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and Department of Energy concluded that it is likely the virus leaked from a Chinese laboratory, while other intelligence agencies like the National Intelligence Council (NIC) focus more on the theory of natural occurrence.
The origins of the COVID-19 virus are politically divisive. President Trump fueled the narrative of "Chinese responsibility" by claiming that China artificially created the virus following the pandemic's outbreak. He even withdrew security for Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), who advocated for the theory of natural occurrence.
The Democratic Party holds the view that the claim of the COVID-19 virus being artificially created is unscientific. During the process of the House Oversight Committee releasing the report last year, members belonging to the Democratic Party refused to sign.
Raúl Ruiz (California), a Democratic federal representative, referred to the White House's posting of the virus leak theory on its website as "an attempt to cover up the initial response failures during the pandemic."
American public opinion is leaning towards the claim that the COVID-19 virus leaked. In a poll by the Economist and YouGov in 2023, 66% of Americans responded that they trust the laboratory leak theory.