On Saturday, former President George W. Bush put out a video calling for Americans to come together to overcome COVID-19. In a reassuring tone, Bush called for compassion for the sick, elderly and unemployed and praised the selflessness and sacrifice of medical professionals. The 43rd President concluded:
Let us remember how small our differences are in the face of this shared threat. In the final analysis we are not partisan combatants. We are human beings equally vulnerable and equally wonderful in the sight of God. We rise or fall together and we are determined to rise. God bless you all.
However, it would seem that President Trump sees Americans as nothing more than partisan combatants and is determined to see us fall. Less than 24 hours after Bush released his message of national unity, Trump took to Twitter and poured gasoline all over it first by quoting former Republican Congressman turned Fox News personality Pete Hegseth and then adding his own two cents:
@PeteHegseth “Oh bye the way, I appreciate the message from former President Bush, but where was he during Impeachment calling for putting partisanship aside.”
@foxandfriends He was nowhere to be found in speaking up against the greatest Hoax in American history!
Let us understand the full import of Trump's tweet. In the space of less than three months, COVID-19 has afflicted more than 1 million Americans with more than 67,000 lives have been lost. Instead of seconding Bush's sentiments in our hour of need, Trump demands to know where Bush was in his hour of need.
Those words could be uttered only by someone who cares exclusively about his own fortunes.
Those words could be uttered only by someone who cares nothing about the suffering of others.
Those words could be uttered only by someone who lacks simple empathy and kindness.
As President Bush put it:
Let us remember that empathy and simple kindness are essential, powerful tools of national recovery. Even at an appropriate social distance we can find ways to be present in the lives of others, to ease their anxiety and share their burdens.
President Trump does not possess the powerful tools of empathy and simple kindness.
Case in point: Back in March NBC reporter Peter Alexander asked Trump what he had to say to Americans who were scared of the Coronavirus.Iinstead of assuaging the anxieties of Americans Trump exacerbated it by calling Alexander "a terrible reporter" for asking "a very nasty question" of "doing sensationalism."
At the time Alexander posed his question, 14,000 Americans had been afflicted with COVID-19 with about 200 deaths. As it turns out, Alexander's question was anything but nasty nor was he practicing sensationalism. In the meantime, the number of Americans afflicted with COVID-19 has increased nearly a hundred fold and the number of deaths have eclipsed the number of Americans killed during the Vietnam War. And still Trump has nothing to say to millions of Americans who are still scared of COVID-19. Let me put it another way. President Bush provided Americans with more reassurance in just under three minutes than President Trump has in just under three months.
In six months from now, Americans will have to decide whether to stick with President Trump or take a chance on Joe Biden. Say what you will about Biden. Yet for all his numerous shortcomings, Biden knows what it is to suffer. This is a man who lost his first wife and infant daughter in an automobile accident and later lost an adult son to cancer.
Right now, Americans are suffering both with their health and with job losses and things are going to get worse before they get better. Soon we may be hard pressed to find a family that hasn't had at least one member afflicted by COVID-19. If President Trump insists on showing concern only for himself instead of demonstrating empathy and simple kindness for others then he will be in for a rude awakening come November. If Americans decide they want a President who understands suffering and possesses empathy and simple kindness then Donald Trump is going to lose deservedly and will have only himself to blame even as he blames others.
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