As the United States marches through 1.3 million infected with the coronavirus and over 80,000 dead, the nation continues to look to their leaders to lead by example. Yet at every turn, our President continues to disappoint and display a total lack of empathy or sympathy for those affected by the COVID-19.
Callousness at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
This Thursday (07 May 2020) we learned the President had been directly exposed to an individual, his valet, who has been confirmed as having contracted COVID-19. The next day, Friday (08 May 2020) we learned that the Vice President was also exposed to an individual who had contracted COVID-19, his press secretary.
Thus both our President and Vice President should, by their own administration’s protocols be in isolation and not engaging in unnecessary activities which may bring additional individuals in contact with them given they may be carriers of COVID-19.
No, they decided to pull a card out of the parental kit-bag: “Do as I say, not as I do.“
The Vice President, instead of heading to his residence at Number One Observatory Circle (the Naval Observatory) in Washington D.C., went to Andrews Air Base and boarded Air Force 2 – prior to doing so, he had those staffers who had been in proximity to their COVID infected colleague get off the plane. The Vice President then followed his planned travel and took off for a visit to Iowa and Hy-Vee (meat processing/supermarkets)
Meanwhile, the President, instead of staying in his West Wing residential quarters or the Oval office ( or even Camp David), opted to take part in a ceremony honoring VE-Day at the World War II memorial, where he greeted elderly veterans of the Second World War. Yes, without a face mask.
The White House press secretary, Kayliegh McEnany, once again leaves us speechless …
The President and Vice President acted in the most selfish manner possible, and placed at risk their staffs and those with whom they engaged. Look at the images above – no face masks. Yet both knew that they belonged in isolation pending determination if they are infected with COVID.
As President Obama so eloquently described the situation on a private call Friday, “It would have been bad even with the best of governments. It has been an absolute chaotic disaster when that mindset — of ‘what’s in it for me’ and ‘to heck with everybody else’ — when that mindset is operationalized in our government,” he said.
The President and Vice President must believe that 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue was COVID-proof, and instead are now having to deal with coming to grips with the reality, the White House is not impervious to COVID-19.
Thank you for your time, Christopher Burgess
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