WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is being blasted over his comments that Americans should not be afraid of the coronavirus.
The president made the remarks Monday in a tweet just before leaving Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he was being treated since Friday for COVID-19, and then again in a video posted to Twitter after returning to the White House.
Trump was treated with an aggressive regimen of experimental drugs that included the steroid dexamethasone, an antibody cocktail and the antiviral drug remdesivir. His doctors say he experienced two drops in oxygen while hospitalized, and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows acknowledged that at one point the president’s vital signs were “very concerning.”
Even upon Trump leaving the hospital Monday, White House physician Dr. Sean Conley said the president is not yet “out of the woods.”
Despite all of that, Trump is now presenting himself as an authority on a virus that he insists is beatable.
“Don’t let it dominate you,” Trump said in the video. “Don’t be afraid. You’re going to beat it. We have the best medical equipment. We have the best medicines.”
In trying to reassure Americans, the president made no mention of the fact that more than 210,000 people in the country have died from COVID-19.
His latest example of downplaying the virus was met by harsh criticism from doctors, Democrats and celebrities, many of whom were quick to point out that most people would not receive the level of care that the president did.
“‘Don’t be afraid of Covid’ is an evil thing to say to those of us who lost our loved ones to Covid 19,” Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said in a tweet. “This man is unfit to be President, he lacks the compassion and humanity it takes to lead our country.”
“‘Don’t be afraid’?” tweeted Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J.. “I wish every American had access to the same health care you’re getting—but they don’t. People in New Jersey not only fear #COVID19, they fear what will happen if you and (Senate Majority Leader Mitch) McConnell ram through your #SCOTUS nom and rip away their health coverage.”
In his attack on Trump’s comments, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., also cited the recent New York Times report that the president has paid little to no federal taxes for years.
“Don't be afraid, says the guy with a team of a dozen doctors, access to experimental treatments that no one else gets, a four room hospital suite, who lives in a house with top doctors on site 24/7,” Murphy tweeted. “All of which is provided to him for free because he refuses to pay taxes.”
Speaking at an NBC News town hall Monday night, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said in response to Trump’s comments: “There's a lot to be concerned about,” noting the U.S. death toll. “I hope no one walks away with the message thinking that it is not a problem. It’s a serious problem.”
Some doctors, meanwhile, said Trump’s remarks could have deadly consequences.
Asked Monday night on CNN about the president’s messaging, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said: "Obviously, the message should be that we should try as best as we can to avoid infection. No matter who you are, how old you are, or what your underlying condition is, we should not trivialize it."
Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical School, told The New York Times that Trump’s remarks were “dangerous.”
“It will lead to more casual behavior, which will lead to more transmission of the virus, which will lead to more illness, and more illness will lead to more deaths,” Schaffner said.
Dr. Carolos del Rio, an infectious disease expert at Emory University in Atlanta, tweeted: “Are you telling the relatives of 210,000 Americans who have died of #COVID19 not to be afraid? Please tell everyone the truth once and for all, this is serious & #WearAMask You didn’t and got infected.”
Hollywood also joined the chorus of criticism.
Actor Amanda Kloots, who lost her husband, fellow actor Nick Cordero, to COVID-19 earlier this year, slammed the president in a powerful Instagram post.
"To all the over 208,000 Americans who lost loved ones to this virus - I stand by you, with you, holding your hand," Kloots wrote. "Unfortunately it did dominate our lives didn’t it? It dominated Nick’s family’s lives and my family’s lives. I guess we 'let it' - like it was our choiice??
"Unfortunately not everyone is lucky enough to spend two days in the hospital," she continued. "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."
“Don’t be afraid of Covid?!” tweeted “Captain America” star Chris Evans. “You’ve been under round-the-clock care by the best doctors using the best drugs. Do you really think everyone has access to that?! Sadly, I’m sure you’re aware of that disparity, you just don’t care. This is reckless to a shocking degree, even for you.”
“Don’t be afraid of covid?” Mandy Moore, the “This Is Us” actress, wrote on Twitter. “Tell that to the 210,000 families who have lost loved ones. To the Black, Brown and Indigenous folks disproportionately affected. With tens of millions of jobs lost and the economy tanked. Many of us isolated for months. You’re the cruelest.”
Some Republicans, meanwhile, voiced their support for Trump’s message.
“A true leader leads in the front and doesn’t cower in fear,” tweeted Georgia congressional candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene. “@realDonaldTrump has led our country through this unprecedented crisis winning battle after battle. Now he’s suffered with Covid-19 just like millions of Americans, and he beat it just like they did. God bless him!”
Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., posted a video on social media showing Trump pummel a wrestler whose head had been covered by the visual representation of COVID-19.