Trump Administration Replaces COVID.gov With Lab Leak Origin

Washington, D.C. – The Trump administration has announced support for the theory that COVID-19 originated from a laboratory leak in Wuhan, China, citing recent intelligence and assessments.

During a press briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the administration assesses with moderate confidence that the SARS-CoV-2 virus likely emerged from a lab-related incident at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), rather than through natural zoonotic transmission. The statement clarifies that the leak was likely accidental, not intentional.

This position follows a declassified CIA report from January 2025, which assessed with “low confidence” that the pandemic most likely originated from a lab in Wuhan, though it noted both lab and natural origins remain plausible.

The White House also cites a December 2024 House Oversight Committee report, led by Republicans, which concluded that the virus likely emerged from a research-related incident, pointing to the virus’s furin cleavage site and WIV’s history of bat coronavirus research.

The announcement coincides with the revamping of COVID.gov, now redirecting to a White House page titled “Lab Leak: The True Origins of COVID-19.“

The site displays evidence supporting the lab-leak theory, including the proximity of the WIV to the Huanan Seafood Market (7.5 miles) and reports of WIV researchers falling ill with COVID-like symptoms in fall 2019.

It also criticizes former public health officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, for allegedly promoting the natural origin narrative, referencing the 2020 “Proximal Origin” paper.