Commerce secretary says ‘I think it will help accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to the US’

The US commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, said in an interview on Thursday that the coronavirus outbreak could bring back jobs to America.

In controversial comments on morning TV, Ross remarked that the deadly illness that has broken out in China and is spreading internationally could lead to job growth for businesses in the US and Mexico. He was speaking during a segment on Fox Business Network.

Ross began by saying he did not “want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease” before discussing the potential economic benefits of the virus.

“I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America, some to [the] US, probably some to Mexico as well,” Ross said. He then likened the outbreak to other global health crises including the “African swine virus” and the 2003 Sars epidemic as “another risk factor that people need to take into account”.

Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) Wilbur Ross saying the coronavirus would boost the American economy and bring more jobs makes me wonder if he’s the grandson of the dude who gave smallpox blankets to the Native Americans.

The coronavirus has killed more than 170 people in China and infected more than 8,000 people across several countries. World Health Organization officials will meet on Thursday to determine whether the outbreak constitutes a global health emergency.

An estimated 200 Americans have been evacuated from the Wuhan region of China, considered the epicenter of the virus. The US has confirmed five cases of the coronavirus stateside thus far, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed at least 165 people are currently under screening.

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) Just received a briefing on the Coronavirus in China from all of our GREAT agencies, who are also working closely with China. We will continue to monitor the ongoing developments. We have the best experts anywhere in the world, and they are on top of it 24/7! pic.twitter.com/rrtF1Stk78

Vice-President Mike Pence was on hand at a White House event celebrating the Lunar New Year on Monday, and said the administration “has taken strong action to deal with this virus” and stands “ready to help the people of China confront” it.

Trump also tweeted his support the of the “efforts and transparency” of Chinese health officials, thanking President Xi Jinping for China’s cooperation. Ross echoed the White House message of support, but then prioritized American interests.

“Every American’s heart has to go out to the victims,” he said. “But the fact is, it does give businesses yet another thing to consider when they go through their review of their supply chain.”

Contradicting official messaging is not new for Ross. After learning cash-strapped federal workers were using food banks during the 2019 government shutdown, he encouraged employees to take out loans from credit unions to pay bills in the interim.

Meanwhile, US health secretary Alex Azar said the US will participate alongside WHO experts planning to visit China to help combat the coronavirus.