White House Points to Lab Leak as COVID-19 Origin

White House signals lab leak as a possible COVID origin, echoing Trump’s renewed claims on his campaign website.
By Suvin Muthukumarana
April 20, 2025
7:41 GMT-0830

The theory that COVID-19 may have originated from a lab in Wuhan, China, is once again making headlines after the White House acknowledged it as a “possible” source of the virus. This marks a notable shift in tone, reflecting a growing acceptance of what was once considered a fringe theory.

The renewed attention follows President Donald Trump’s latest statement on his newly launched campaign website, where he firmly declared the “lab leak” as the “true origins” of COVID-19. Trump has long pushed this theory, and his website now outlines his stance as central to his reelection platform.

While the U.S. intelligence community remains divided on the origin of the virus, with no definitive evidence proving either a lab accident or natural transmission, both the Energy Department and the FBI have previously leaned toward the lab hypothesis with “low to moderate confidence.”

This development has reignited political debate in Washington and raised diplomatic tensions with China, which continues to reject the lab leak theory.

Health experts still urge caution, emphasizing that investigations must rely on science, not politics.