Photo: AFP

During his interview with Reuters on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump said China "will do anything they can" to prevent him from being reelected. How pretentious this president is. 

In my view, Trump is putting all his bets on winning the election on China. China has offered substantial medical supplies to the US for the latter's fight against COVID-19, to which Trump could brag that the US is the "king of ventilators."

China is also the president's biggest stunt to divert Americans' rage toward the his administration's own incompetence in fighting the virus. It is believed Trump and his team are aware of how they have failed their jobs in epidemic prevention and control. Only by making Americans hate China can they make sure that the public might overlook the fact that Trump's team is stained with the blood of Americans.

If Trump is man enough, he should prioritize protecting American lives over reelection, and be the political Batman when the US is in crisis. Previously, the president predicted that the US death toll from COVID-19 would be 60,000. Yet, US coronavirus deaths have exceeded the figure, and many more could die. As a president, Trump has the ability to save at least some of them, to prevent the coronavirus deaths in the country from topping 100,000, if he has Batman's compassion and willingness to sacrifice something of his own to save Americans' interests.

What one fears most is the US president does not have the will, that he would rather see more people die in exchange for his reelection, or that he and his competitors are deceiving Americans, confusing the citizens by a race over who can be tougher on China, making Americans believe it is China which caused the massive infections and deaths in the US. 

No matter who becomes the next US president, would that person sleep well in the White House, knowing so many people have died?

The author is editor-in-chief of the Global Times. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn