The growing public distrust in U.S. President Donald Trump's ability to lead the country in its fight against COVID-19 is why he's attacking China, according to Telegram.hr, the largest digital-only publisher with the most users in Croatia.

"Trump is trying to divert public outrage over China as he is increasingly accused of the unwillingness the U.S. has encountered in the pandemic. Because of this, Trump also targeted the World Health Organization (WHO)," read a piece published on the website in late April.

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So far, the U.S. COVID-19 death toll has exceeded American fatalities in the Vietnam War as cases crossed the 1 million mark. This translated into public dissatisfaction towards the president.

Trump and his administration have felt the need to divert people's attention, throw their support behind conspiracy theories that the virus was made in a Wuhan lab and blame China for the outbreak.

Following suit

"For similar reasons, China has come under attack from the United Kingdom and France, which have also accused Beijing of failing to report about coronavirus and the subsequent scale of the epidemic," the article said.

"Both countries are leading the world in terms of coronavirus deaths, which is a growing problem for French President Emmanuel Macron and English Prime Minister Boris Johnson."

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Now the two leaders are being questioned over their responsibility for the delayed and ineffective measures they have taken, it added.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a statement last week debunking bogus claims about COVID-19 origins, saying that the virus was "not manmade or genetically modified."

This echoes WHO experts and an increasing chorus of scientists who have been saying that the new coronavirus is of natural origins and that it had jumped from animals to humans.

Hidden data 

The article also tackled accusations by the U.S. and the West that China hid death toll data, saying that these nations are now keeping from the public the extent of the COVID-19 human cost.

"European media claim that they have found with great certainty that the United Kingdom, France, Belgium and Spain have so far not published accurate data on the number of deaths from the coronavirus." 

"Candesica, an English consultancy, claims that the number of coronavirus deaths in the UK is at least 50 percent higher than that reported," it pointed out.

'Merciful Samaritan' 

There is another reason why China has come under fire. The article said China is quickly getting back on its feet and is rapidly resuming economic activity, raising concerns in the world's largest capitals.  

"They are annoyed that China, they say, has begun to act as a merciful Samaritan who distributes aid on all sides."

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China has given a helping hand, sending out tens of millions of protective wards, masks, medical equipment, medicines as well as medical teams to the world every day.

"Given that the U.S. and EU are preoccupied with fighting the virus, analysts explain that China has a unique opportunity to consolidate its influential position in the world. Also that generous humanitarian aid from China could turn public opinion in Europe more in favor of China. Brussels also fears that Chinese aid will be used by countries opposed to the EU, such as Italy, Serbia, Hungary."

Gratitude 

The article highlighted Croatia's gratitude as it has received significant assistance from China in the fight against the virus.

"The most famous is the shipment of protective masks, suits, glasses, gloves, contactless thermometers, which came from Shanghai and weighed 60 tons. Inside was a donation from the Chinese government. The donations particularly highlighted Chinese companies operating in Croatia."

(Cover: U.S. President Donald Trump participates in the daily COVID-19 outbreak task force briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 24, 2020. /Reuters)