OPINION: Have empathy, hold the sympathy for President Trump
The President of the United States and members of his family, courtier and entourage within the Senate all have contracted COVID-19. They are sick, some hospitalized, most not. This did not need to happen. This should not have happened. Yet it did.
Yet, from the earliest days of the pandemic the President has rolled the dice on COVID. telling the country one thing, while knowing that it wasn’t the truth.
February 2020 – It’s under control
He told Bob Woodward in February 2020 that he understood how COVID was transmitted and just how deadly it was. Take a listen to the one minute audio below.
Debate Night – 29 September 2020
Then at the debate on 29 September 2020, he spars with his opponent in the 2020 Presidential election, former Vice President Joe Biden about the MAGA rallies where he acknowledges his supports are packed in. He goes on to say basically that these rallies are risk free and no untoward events have occurred. He clearly forgot about his Tulsa rally and how one of his prominent supporters, Herman Cain attended the rally on 20 June, without a mask, and was hospitalized with COVID on , sadly passing on 30 July.
How many others followed Cain’s path of infection-hospitalization-death?
Disregard for anyone, including himself
Sadly, the President has little regard for anyone, including himself. He must have thought himself invincible to the science of how the Corona Virus spreads, as he unnecessarily placed himself in harms way, and by extension placed others – both through the need for their presence as well as through the piss-poor example he was giving the country by his behavior.
Here he denigrates the efficacy of wearing a mask and compares his philosophy on wearing a mask to that of Vice President Biden. (By the way, a quick internet search will show you that this has been a recurring theme dating back months.)
Now he sits in Walter Reed and we are facing what could evolve into a national security crisis, should his condition worsen. So we look to the White House Chief of Staff and the Physician to provide us with useful information re the President’s condition.
White house dissembles and contradicts
It appears the 26 September event at the White House may have been the event at which the President contracted COVID. He wasn’t alone, as we see from media – Senators, West Wing staff, campaign supporters and correspondents also have become infected. Some at the event, and others subsequently.
What is unconscionable, is that the President knowing he was exposed opted to not to place a full stop on his travel and isolate. He, therefore, needlessly placed others at risk.
We know how the story plays out.
He announced 02 October he has COVID and is transported to Walter Reed.
What happens next is remarkable.
White House medical staff were clearing dodging and avoiding sharing the truth about his condition and treatment. The White House physician, an osteopathic doctor, failed the country with his lack of candor. In our minds we could hear his mother, “My son is fibbing, for Trump.”
This was quickly followed by the White House Chief of Staff talking to a gaggle of reporters just feet away and is overheard contradicting the White House physician.
We are embarrassing ourselves. The world is watching, every citizen is watching, and this is what they are seeing.
Empathy & Sympathy
Many are saying, “You brought this upon yourself” or “You reap what you sow.”
Psychiatrist Nick Carmody, in 2019, explains why many feel this way about Trump.
What has changed is the President’s handling of the COVID pandemic and the 210,000 souls gone.
There are many reasons why people have such a reflexive, visceral reaction of disgust, fear, & hatred of Trump (immorality, criminality, admitted serial sexual assaulter, pathologically dishonest). Undoubtedly, for many people, it’s because he triggers previous experiences….2/
— Nick Carmody JD, MS Psych (@Nick_Carmody) March 13, 2019
Sadly, this Administration is demonstrating, even when the nation needs the truth that the truth is out of their reach. And thus they are treating us more like adversaries and not concerned citizenry.
Nevertheless, I ask that you be empathetic to the President’s plight, pray in whatever manner you do for his recovery. One need not be sympathetic, as he truly did bring this upon himself.
I personally have little sympathy for the President’s circumstances.
He is more fortunate than many, as he is receiving the best medical care the country can provide. This substantially increases his odds of a positive outcome.
What I do have is empathy for those circumstances. As one who was knocked down this spring (Feb-Mar-Apr) for nine weeks, I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.
By his own words, he is working and the campaign continues.
A personal ask
The nation has begun the voting process in many states, and will finish their voting on 03 November. Please do vote, vote in the safest manner possible and vote early if you are able.
