Navarro Hits Bill Gates for Calling China Criticism a 'Distraction'

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro hit back Monday at Microsoft founder Bill Gates after the billionaire philanthropist said in an interview that it is a "distraction" to criticize China when the focus should be on testing, developing treatments, and finding a vaccine for the novel coronavirus. 

"China spun that virus," Navarro said on Fox News' "Fox and Friends." "They hid it for six weeks. They could have contained it in Wuhan. They didn't. They seeded the world with this, with hundreds of thousands of Chinese getting on aircraft to Milan, to New York and other places during that six-week period."

China also "vacuumed up the world for personal protective equipment," including obtaining "over 2 billion masks, depriving public healthcare workers around the world," and is "profiteering basically from this situation," said Navarro. 

"Mr. Gates and I will differ on the need to hold China accountable," said Navarro. "The Chinese Communist Party basically inflicted this virus on the world, and we should never forget that here in America."

Navarro said Monday that even as states prepare to reopen, China is sending antibody tests that are returning "low-quality, false readings" at a time when such tests are needed to show who has already had COVID-19. 

He also commented about state and local leaders who say they don't have the resources needed for testing or reopening their communities, including New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has been calling for a multi-billion dollar bailout for the city and at New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for his calls for help.

"They forget there are 49 other states in the union here that also need some help," said Navarro, noting the government has already given New York City a lot of help, including finding new supply sources. 

"That's the kind of thing I focus on," said Navarro, who is in charge of supply chains. "I can't reach into my magic bag and throw a bunch of money at New York right now."

• Cuomo: Some New York Businesses May Reopen in Mid-May
• Dr. Birx Laments Media Missing the Key Points in Their Virus Furor