On October 2, President Donald Trump announced via Twitter that he and his wife, Melania, had tested positive for COVID-19. In the days that followed, Trump came under severe scrutiny for his conduct, most prominently, for what’s been characterized as careless and blatant disregard for others which was exhibited when he exited the medical facility to drive, in the company of two secret service agents, to greet supporters who had gathered outside.
President Trump sparked even more fury this past Monday when he took to Twitter, writing, “Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life.” While Trump’s statement is problematic for many reasons– one being his undermining of public health advice and his refusal to acknowledge the severity of a virus that has taken over a million lives worldwide– it was particularly insulting to those working on the front lines of the virus and people who have lost someone close to them as a result of the virus.
Much of the criticism focused on Trump centered around his failure to acknowledge the way in which his privilege transformed his experience with the virus. In contrast to Trump, who was transported to a 3,000 square foot presidential suite via helicopter and treated with an experimental drug not yet accessible to the public, countless Americans died alone – sometimes in hallways of overcrowded hospitals — before having their bodies stored in refrigerated trucks on the side of the street before they were buried in mass graves.
One reaction to Trump’s tweet that especially stuck out was that of Amanda Kloots, the widow of Nick Cordero. Cordero had a leg amputated, and spent almost a month in a coma before tragically succumbing to COVID-19 this past July. In an Instagram post, Kloots wrote:
“To all the over 208,000 Americans who lost loved ones to this virus – I stand by you, with you, holding your hand. Unfortunately it did dominate our lives didn’t it? It dominated Nick’s family’s lives and my family’s lives… Unfortunately not everyone is lucky enough to spend two days in the hospital. I cried next to my husband for 95 days watching what COVID did to the person I love. It IS something to be afraid of. After you see the person you love the most die from this disease you would never say what this tweet says. There is no empathy to all the lives lost. He is bragging instead. It is sad. It is hurtful. It is disgraceful.”
Kloots, along with America’s medical professionals and those whose lives were changed forever due to COVID-19, emphasize just how important it is to treat the virus as the grave danger it is. Since we have a leader who is not empathetic and is neither in tune with the suffering of Americans nor supportive of the essential workers who risk their lives to keep us healthy, it is up to us to do the work, to be the foot soldiers in the war against COVID-19.