A look at how President Donald Trump has (mis)handled his COVID-19 diagnosis.
Opinion by Savannah Simmons, Managing Editor
President Donald Trump has been COVID-19 positive for over a week now and has only continued to treat the virus as if it is nothing to be wary of, disrespecting those who have suffered.
After announcing that he and the First Lady were positive for the deadly coronavirus Oct. 1, at least 24 more people in Trump’s circle have also been diagnosed, which only furthers the speculation that the event for the Supreme Court nomination ceremony at the Rose Garden was in fact, a super-spreader event.
"I think the data speaks of themselves [sic]," said Dr. Anthony Fauci in a radio interview to CBS News' Steven Portnoy. "We had a super-spreader event in the White House and it was in a situation where people were crowded together and were not wearing masks."
Despite having to mandatorily quarantine when a positive COVID-19 test is received, Trump broke his stay at Walter Reed Medical Center a day and a half after admittance to greet supporters who awaited him outside the campus.
It is completely irresponsible and selfish to task Secret Service agents to drive and protect him in a hermetically-sealed vehicle while being infected himself. Not only did this unnecessary drive by possibly infect the agents that accompanied him, but also forced them to quarantine after the event creating a waste of resources.
“One thing that's for certain [is] don’t let it dominate you, don't be afraid of it, you're gonna beat it,” said Trump in a video he posted on Twitter after his discharge from the hospital. “Don't let it take over your lives, don't let that happen.”
There have been over 200,000 Americans that have died due to the mishandling of the pandemic in the United States and for the president to be so cavalier, even after going through it himself, is beyond hurtful to anyone affected by or concerned about COVID-19.
As of Friday, the president has gone off of his medications that were used to combat his illness but it is unclear whether he is still positive with the virus or not.
"I have been retested and I haven't even found out numbers or anything yet but I've been retested,” said Trump to Dr. Marc Siegel in an interview. “I know I met either the bottom of the scale or free."
Although it is common for people positive with coronavirus to be recommended not to get a second test, as it could skew the totals and is possible to still be positive but not infectious, Trump offered this information in a very confusing and misleading way.
Trump also claimed to have “learned so much about coronavirus” which, if true, makes his continued lack of leadership imprudent. On Saturday, he held a small rally on the South Lawn where masks were worn but social distancing was not followed. That evening, his physician said the president is no longer a transmission risk.
To watch the president deal with the virus in such a nonchalant and arrogant way, it is worrisome to wonder how his supporters will act while in public and, worse, if they too get infected with COVID-19.