The Irony of Trump's Diagnosis

 This post was published in the Wilson Times Oct. 9, 2020

It is hard to escape the irony of the situation: The president who told his citizenry that the Corona virus was nothing to worry about, that “It will soon disappear … like magic,” would find himself infected by this virus that has killed 209,000 residents of the United States.

 

            The president had scoffed at the precautions recommended by his team of physicians and scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He made it clear that he didn’t need a face mask, even after the CDC announced that the simple, cheap masks, along with social distancing, were the most effective means of controlling the virus. He dismissed the threat of the virus as nothing more than the flu or the common cold. Nothing to worry about.

 

            He wouldn’t even say the name of virus — Novel Corona Virus 19 — and the name of the potentially deadly and insidious disease it caused — COVID-19. He insisted on calling it the “China Virus,” a name not used by the scientific community or the worldwide effort to control the raging pandemic. It was his way of laying blame with China; he had declared “I take no responsibility.”

 

            Even worse, President Trump refused to follow local, state and national restrictions designed to prevent the spread of the disease. All health authorities recommended nationwide, comprehensive testing to identify infected persons and trace their contacts. But Trump opposed increased testing, saying, “I don’t want more testing.” He said he told the government to slow down testing because, he claimed, testing caused more infections.

 

            Trump continued to hold large, frequent campaign rallies that did not follow local or state precautionary measures, such as social distancing and mask wearing. Attendees were packed shoulder-to-shoulder in open air or confined venues that gave the virus open paths to new infections. He ridiculed his election opponent, Joe Biden, for wearing a protective mask to events.

 

            At Trump’s goading, refusing to wear a mask became a sign of masculinity and loyalty to Trump. The anti-mask sentiment led to numerous confrontations at retail stores and other places, where unmasked people shoved, threatened and even shot persons politely urging them to follow a mask mandate.

 

            When the virus finally caught up with Trump, he took an unannounced ride to Walter Reed Army Medical Center to get the best possible medical treatment. Few, if any, of the more than 209,000 Americans killed by this disease had access to such good health care. In a final insult to all who had urged the president to observe social distancing, mask wearing and other precautions, on Sunday, the president commandeered an armored vehicle and at least two Secret Service members for a joy ride around the hospital so he could wave at his fans cheering on the street or in their vehicles.

 

            Physicians say Trump should not have left the hospital in his fragile condition and certainly should not have endangered the lives of the other passengers in the air-tight SUV who were confined with a highly infectious patient.

 

            Americans of all stripes are wishing the president a successful recovery from this infection. Joe Biden and others have offered prayers and sympathetic notes to the president and his family. This is a time of irony, of unforeseen turns and shocking developments. It is not a time for ill will.