Watch: Donald Trump Jr.’s full speech at the Republican National Convention

Donald Trump Jr., Executive Vice President of the Trump Organization, spoke on the first night of the Republican National Convention on Aug. 24, 2020.

Trump Jr. praised his father’s response to the virus pandemic, which has killed nearly 170,000 people in the U.S., according to the COVID Tracking Project. He said the coronavirus struck “courtesy of the Chinese Communist Party.” Research shows that the genetic makeup of the virus indicates it could not have been man-made and manufactured in a lab. The party planned a mix of virtual and in-person events in North Carolina and Washington, D.C., for its nominating convention after the coronavirus pandemic interrupted plans for a traditional nominating event.