Trump calls Siberian plague outbreak 'big problem for Russia,' offers U.S. help
President Trump called a suspected pneumonic plague outbreak in Siberia a "big problem for Russia," claiming microbes and germs have grown stronger and smarter. He offered U.S. help but had not spoken with Vladimir Putin. Trump made the remarks Monday as he left the White House for a campaign rally, following the death of Daria Shipilova, a 28-year-old worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute. He said the disease was once controllable but now resists treatments. Pneumonic plague is nearly always fatal without antibiotics and can spread human-to-human via respiration. Trump's comments echo past controversy over lab-leak theories tied to COVID-19 and risky gain-of-function research.