Being on the receiving end of racism is not fun. For those of us who have experienced it, we know that it can be enraging and humiliating all at once.

It makes no difference what color or ethnicity the racist is, but this seemingly uncontroversial assertion has long been rejected, dismissed, or ignored by mainstream society and the liberal media. After all, the Left has taught that racism means prejudice plus power, and only white people, who hold the power in this country, can be racist.

Then the coronavirus outbreak took over daily life. All of a sudden, the media is open to reporting that Chinese Americans, along with other Asians who are mistaken as being of Chinese descent, are facing racism not just from white people but also racial and ethnic minorities.

On March 7, the New York Times published an op-ed by a young Chinese American woman who encountered racism from a Vietnamese nail technician at a salon. The technician, making an apparent reference to the origins of the coronavirus at a market in China where exotic animals were slaughtered and sold, said that Chinese people ate “weird” food and brought it to the United States. “Chinese people, I don’t like you. You are so bad, so bad, and so gross,” the Vietnamese nail technician added.

Upon reading the op-ed, a friend of mine observed, “I’ve seen the menus at Vietnamese restaurants. Vietnamese people have no business accusing anyone else of being ‘gross.’” Yes, many Vietnamese restaurants offer a panoply of entrails and similar items on the menu. Some might call it “weird.”

But food humor aside, those of us who hate identity politics have known for a long time that white people are not the sole source of racism. I have pointed out that some of the people who harbor the most hostility toward Asians are other Asian people. The story shared by the New York Times op-ed shows just how ugly that racism can be.

At the same time, those dishing out racism toward Asian Americans often include other people of color, such as African Americans .

Asian Americans who are familiar with urban settings know well that racism from other minorities such as African Americans is commonplace. I have even written a book, Chinese Girl in the Ghetto, talking about precisely the ugliness of such racism and the cravenness with which society and the media often avoid the subject. Shedding light on these incidents of racism is not an act of racism against the minority groups involved but a public way of bringing accountability to all for behavior that is unacceptable in modern society.

Of course, leftists who are now acknowledging that the perpetrators of coronavirus-inspired racism against Asian Americans include other people of color find it far easier to blame the entire phenomenon on President Trump and Republicans. Their logic supposes that because Trump and Republicans have used the term “Chinese virus” to describe the COVID-19 pandemic, they are fanning racism.

In reality, Trump and various Republicans began using the term to hold the communist Chinese government accountable for unleashing this horrible, infectious disease on the world and then lying to shirk responsibility. To Republicans, “Chinese” means China. They are not trying to malign their fellow Americans who did nothing wrong.

Certainly, to Asian Americans who are now facing racist attacks and unfairly shouldering the blame for the coronavirus, they do not believe their tormentors see a difference between “China” and “Chinese.” Understandably, they want their political leaders to use more responsible rhetoric.

Trump has done exactly that. Upon hearing about hate crimes and increased racism directed at Asian Americans due to the pandemic, he tweeted :

....is NOT their fault in any way, shape, or form. They are working closely with us to get rid of it. WE WILL PREVAIL TOGETHER! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2020

He reiterated these sentiments at the White House coronavirus briefing on Monday and said:

“It seems that there could be a little bit of nasty language toward the Asian Americans in our country and I don’t like that at all ... so, I just wanted to make that point because they’re blaming China, and they are making statements to great American citizens that happened to be of Asian heritage, and I’m not gonna let that happen.”

It was, in some ways, a moment of high comedy, because Trump-haters had been feverishly labeling him as the person using “nasty language.” Trump appeared altogether oblivious to their complaints. After all, the president wholeheartedly says he is the “ least racist person ” anywhere in the world, no irony intended.

Chinese Americans who have no innate animus toward the president and who might otherwise applaud his policies ranging from strengthening border security to delivering a booming economy are glad that he has ceased using the term “Chinese virus.”

Yet, Trump haters and the worshipers of identity politics will find every opportunity to label him a racist. After all, their morally bankrupt ideology is based on the premise that America is a racist country. It is one reason why they have been so enamored and animated by reports of racism (real or imagined ) against Asian Americans during the pandemic.

Identity politics has brought endless dishonesty and division to this country and continues to do so. When the coronavirus pandemic subsides, America must try to rid itself of this tumor from within.

Ying Ma is the author of Chinese Girl in the Ghetto and the former deputy director of the Committee for American Sovereignty, a pro-Trump super PAC. Follow her on Twitter @gztoghetto.