Coronavirus attack on US worse than Pearl Harbour, 9/11: Trump

US President Donald Trump has said the coronavirus outbreak has hit America harder than the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor during World War II, or the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001, pointing the finger at China.

Since emerging in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December, the coronavirus is confirmed to have infected 1.2 million Americans, killing more than 73,000.

Because of the preventive social-mitigation measures and complete shutting down of states and businesses, more than three crore people in the US have applied for unemployment benefits.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday, President Trump said: "We went through the worst attack we've ever had on our country, this is worst attack we've ever had.

"This is worse than Pearl Harbour, this is worse than the World Trade Center. There's never been an attack like this," he said during a meeting with the nurses, who are on the frontline of the battle against the COVID-19.

"And it should have never happened. Could've been stopped at the source. Could've been stopped in China. It should've been stopped right at the source. And it wasn't."
At another White House event, when reporters asked him about his comments earlier that likened COVID-19 to the Pearl Harbour and September 11, 2001 attacks, Trump said, "I view the invisible enemy as a war. I do not like how it got here, because it could have been stopped, but no, I view the invisible enemy like a war."