Trump Spreads Covid -- and More Lies -- Just So He Can Wave at Fans
On This Day In 2020
A potentially deadly photo-op: While receiving experimental urgent treatment at Walter Reed Military Medical Center, Donald Trump, dangerously sick with COVID, insisted on going for a ride in his presidential limo. Why? Trump desperately wants to look “strong” for the cameras, as he cares more about his own image than pretty much anything else. So, he took off his hospital gown, put on his golden cufflinks, and went out to wave to his fans.
Nobody but Trump (and maybe his most rabid supporters outside the hospital) thought this was a good idea. His selfish behavior put his Secret Service team – as well as the people at the hospital he came near -- in danger of being exposed to his COVID.
As CNN noted, “Afterward, members of the Secret Service voiced escalating concern at what many of the agency’s personnel have determined is (his) total disregard for their well-being amid a deadly and highly contagious pandemic. Agents have tested positive for the virus while traveling for the President’s political rallies, which he insisted on maintaining even against federal health guidelines. As employees self-quarantine or isolate in place, others have been forced to work longer hours to fill the void.”
And even if Trump didn’t infect those agents, they – and their families – were still forced to suffer for two weeks after the show. "Every single person in the vehicle during that completely unnecessary Presidential 'drive-by' just now has to be quarantined for 14 days," said James Phillips, an attending physician at Walter Reed. "They might get sick. They may die. For political theater."
OTDI 2020 Trump finally went back to the White House, but not before leaving a trail of worried professionals who had spent days protecting—and saving—his life.
Postscript: It was later revealed that Trump was far sicker, and closer to death, than his PR flunkies had implied to the public at the time.
Trump, of course, has a lengthy history of lying about his health so that he would appear “strong.”
Even in his youth, he faked having “bone spurs” to get out of serving in the military. Later in life, when asked which foot had been the problematic one, he drew a blank.
While running for president, he wrote a ridiculous note claiming he would be the “healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency,” and then had his doctor “sign” it.
While getting a colonoscopy, he couldn’t be bothered to tell the American people why he was rushed to the hospital. Most importantly, he missed his opportunity there to lead – to encourage his fellow Americans to get theirs too.
He even lied about his basic height and weight while getting booked in the jail after his felony indictments in Georgia—for lying. (At some point, it’s hard to understand why somebody would even admit in public to being a Trump supporter. Don’t they realize the extent to which they have been suckered and lied to? An average of 21 times every day?)
There was so little authoritative information released about Trump’s ear injury after the first assassination attempt that questions arose about what actually caused the bleeding. Was it the bullet? Shrapnel? The podium he dove behind? Physicians on the scene have not stood before the cameras, the hospital has not released voluminous reports. The Trump penchant for secrecy and paranoia leads others to ask questions rather than learn answers.
Dive Deeper
Reuters covers the president's selfishness, including the immediate pushback and criticism he received
CNN also had details on his little “parade”
The Guardian reported on the actual extent of his near-death experience
Time summarizes the questions surrounding his injured ear
Official White House Photo by Tia Dufour