Disneyland still closed ‘because of the Chinese Communist Party,’ Trump advisor says

While a Walt Disney theme park in China reopened Monday, its parks in the United States remained closed due to coronavirus concerns. One prominent White House advisor believes the “Chinese Communist Party” is to blame for Disneyland’s prolonged closure.

Peter Navarro, a California native, said in a guest appearance on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends” that China should be held accountable for his claim that the country spread coronavirus.

“It crossed me that Disneyland in Shanghai is opening this morning, while my own Disneyland in my own homeland in Orange County, in Anaheim, where Disneyland was born, is still shut because of the Chinese Communist Party. That makes me mad,” Navarro said.

Navarro said China has inflicted “trillions of dollars of damages” on the United States.

Shanghai Disneyland reopened at 30% capacity and visitors are required to wear masks and have their temperature taken upon entry, CNN reported. Rides will also have limited capacity, according to the Associated Press.

“We don’t want people too close — front, back or side,” said Andrew Bolstein, the park’s senior vice president for operations, according to the AP.

The China park is the first of the company’s theme parks to reopen. There is no indication about when California’s Disneyland will reopen, but you can book a room at one of its resort hotels as soon as July 1.

As of May 11, there are at least 4.13 million confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide, which originated in China. The United States has been most severely impacted with 1.3 million confirmed cases and more than 79,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Navarro, who serves as President Donald Trump’s director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, also spoke Monday on CNBC about “China’s role in creating this pandemic.”

“A bill has to come due for China,” Navarro said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “It’s not a question of punishing them, it’s a question of holding China accountable, the Chinese Communist Party accountable.”

China has refuted claims that it created and intentionally spread the virus, calling it “preposterous allegations and lies,” CNN reported.

This story was originally published May 11, 2020 at 9:51 AM with the headline "Disneyland still closed ‘because of the Chinese Communist Party,’ Trump advisor says."