Social Media, Populism, and COVID-19: Weibo Users’ Reactions to Anti-Chinese Discourse

US government communication about the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly ‘Chinese virus’ discourse adopted by Donald Trump and his administration, has led to real-world violence triggered heated discussions across social media sites, including Sina Weibo (aka Chinese Twitter). The current study explores relationship between populism examining how users respond Trump’s on virus. Employing multimodal critical analysis, we examine both visual verbal strategies used build counter-discourses that challenge use of terms such as virus’. Findings demonstrate potential a platform resistance site where contest injustice racism, but also dangerous space in which populist discourses can yield more influence public sentiment potentially policies international relations.