The new spokesperson for the US Department of Health and Human Services appears to have some bizarre and racist beliefs about China. Michael Caputo, who worked on Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential run, is under fire from all sides for a series of now-deleted racist tweets about Chinese people. The tweets expose an ugly element in American politics, and his appointment to this position is an insult to every person on the planet.

A screenshot of Michael Caputo's tweet that is circulating in media

It was only about a month ago that the newly appointed spokesperson was busy spending his days on social media flinging insults at Chinese people. Perhaps realizing that this could be a problem, Caputo recently deleted nearly his entire tweet history, including his racist tweets aimed at China, but the spirit of his hate-filled words continues to haunt many people.

In one of the tweets, a user on Twitter responded to a post asking, “How do you know it originated in Wuhan?” to which Caputo replied, “Millions of Chinese suck the blood out of rabid bats as an appetizer and eat the ass out of anteaters.” In another, he ended an argument by asking, “Don’t you have a bat to eat?” Caputo also repeatedly used stigmatizing labels for the sole purpose of insulting Chinese people and attacking his opponents.

Regardless of your politics, it is safe to say that most people would agree that a person who encourages an atmosphere of hate and stigmatization should not be the spokesperson for a department that plays a central role in the US government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Caputo is a reason why anti-Chinese sentiment is spreading online and in the real world, and as some people have pointed out, a person who spreads stigma is just as dangerous, if not more so, than the virus itself.

People of all stripes are calling on officials in Washington to give Caputo the boot. American politician Jackie Speier wrote, “These disgusting tweets are disqualifying for any job in government let alone Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at HHS.” She then added in all caps, “CAPUTO MUST BE CANNED IMMEDIATELY.” Eugene Gu, a politically active doctor, made a similar remark demanding the removal of him from his post immediately.

The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus in its response called Caputo an enemy of public health for spreading stigma. “This racism is disgusting. Deleting the tweets isn’t nearly enough. He must be fired.” It then quoted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which said that stigma is the enemy of public health, adding, “same for those who spread stigma.” Jamie Raskin, another American politician, retweeted CAPAC and called Caputo an anti-Asian bigot and racist who is an appalling insult to everyone.

It is crazy to appoint a racist as the HHS spokesperson in the middle of a pandemic. This crisis requires all of us to work together. One definition of the word virus is “a harmful influence.” The atmosphere of hate and stigmatization that people such as Caputo have promoted both online and in real life is already having harmful consequences, not only in America but also in the rest of the world.