President Trump has been known to downplay the seriousness of COVID-19 by saying many untruthful things. This includes saying that testing for COVID-19 creates new cases, continually saying the virus will pass soon and downplaying the importance of masks. When President Trump himself contracted COVID-19, many wondered how he would speak about the virus, and if he would change his stance on the issue. 

President Trump left Walter Reed National Military Medical Center only three days after being admitted to be treated for COVID-19. This is quite a difference from the general two-week quarantine that so many others with the virus have had to endure. Since returning, President Trump said that he is not contagious. “I feel perfect. There’s nothing wrong,” he said. “I don’t think I’m contagious at all.” 

After being diagnosed, Trump still tweeted, “Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life.” This offended many that have lost loved ones to the virus. 

“The tweet showed that he cares nothing about the suffering of families like mine and those who are going to continue to be scarred by the disease, all without acknowledging that he inhabits a health care reality provided to no one else on Earth,” said Kristin Urquiza, whose father died of the virus in June.

President Trump’s treatment for COVID-19 is also not at the same level of other Americans. Trump is being monitored by top-level physicians and was also given treatment for free. This is not the care anyone else would receive, making it easier for him to downplay the severity of the virus since he is not having the average experience.  

While it is important to try to adjust to life as best as we can during a pandemic without living in fear, President Trump’s comments are still downplaying the severity of the disease. President Trump also removed his mask during his first appearance since returning from the hospital after being discharged from Walter Reed. This was an especially careless decision, especially after only three days of treatment. COVID-19 is known to be highly contagious, and Trump’s actions perpetuate the ideas that anti-maskers and others not taking the virus seriously have put forth. 

The Trump administration in general has been very lackluster when it comes to their responses as the pandemic has progressed. President Trump did not take an active initiative until seven weeks after the first COVID-19 case was reported in the United States, and did not recommend social distancing until mid-March. President Trump also made excuses for his slow responses, stating that he felt he needed to be a “cheerleader for the country.” 

Trump’s attitude towards his own diagnosis, combined with his slow response to the pandemic, will continue to cause people to not practice safety during the pandemic. When our own president won’t take a global pandemic seriously, even after being diagnosed himself, it’s only natural that others will listen to his words and follow suit with unsafe practices. The most important thing during this time is for political figures and officials to take the pandemic seriously and do what they can to try to help the situation, which President Trump has not been doing.