US President Donald Trump wears a facemask as he leaves Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland heading to Marine One on October 5, 2020, to return to the White House after being discharged. - Trump announced Monday he would be "back on the campaign trail soon", just before returning to the White House from a hospital where he was being treated for Covid-19. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)
SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

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Trump Covid Diagnosis: 4 Classy Reactions; 28 Classless Reactions

DailyWire.com

In true Donald Trump fashion, at 12:54am EST on Friday October 1st, the president took to Twitter to announce that he and the first lady had been diagnosed with COVID-19.

The news sent shockwaves across the country and the world, quickly becoming his most retweeted and “liked” tweet since joining Twitter in 2009. The nationwide focus on the health of the president continued as he was admitted to Walter Reed Medical Center and then released Monday.

While the wellbeing of the President of the United States will always be an important issue, we must also acknowledge the relentless partisanship which can be unearthed by such an impactful event. In the case of Trump’s diagnosis, there is deep divide between those for whom the value of every human life remains intact, and those for whom political victories rank above all else.

Here are four reactions to the president’s battle with COVID-19 which were a fresh reminder of a unity almost forgotten, and 28 reactions which show that such division still remains.

Classy Reactions

1. Rachel Maddow

MSNBC host, and vocal critic of Trump, gave a commendable response filled with unity, perspective, and grace.

2. Joe Biden

Joe Biden, Trump’s staunch rival in the pivotal and inflammatory upcoming election, offered this measured response.

3. Alyssa Milano

Actor and activist Alyssa Milano responded with sympathy, reminding her followers of her experience with COVID-19.

4. Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders also offered a generally apolitical message in response to the news.

Classless Reactions

1. Nancy Pelosi

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who herself has often refused to be tested for COVID-19, was quick to politicize Trump’s diagnosis, stating, “This is tragic. It’s very sad, but it also is something that again, going into crowds, unmasked and all the rest was sort of a brazen invitation for something like this to happen.” 

Presumably, Pelosi’s call for people to come to Chinatown in late February, or her unmasked use of a closed business during lockdown won’t also count as a “brazen invitation.”

2. Sean Penn

Actor Sean Penn, who has schmoozed with dictator Hugo Chávez — an accusation Penn believes should land journalists in jail — offered this misguided attempt to repackage Trump’s comments regarding John McCain:

3. Michael Moore

“Documentary” filmmaker reacted to Trump’s announcement of his diagnosis by promulgating an unsubstantiated conspiracy theory, claiming that Trump was lying about his diagnosis.

“He’s an evil genius, and I raise the possibility of him lying about having COVID-19 to prepare us and counteract his game,” Moore said. “He knows being sick tends to gain one sympathy. He’s not above weaponizing this.”

4. Joy Reid

MSNBC host Joy Reid also promoted this conspiracy theory, using her “cellphone full of texts” as evidence of her accusations. Is this Reid’s version of “binders full of women?”

 

5. Julián Castro

Failed presidential candidate Julián Castro followed his initially hopeful language with the promotion of the lie that Trump called COVID-19 a hoax and called for people to “inject bleach” as a cure. Ironically, he concluded by calling for an end to “divisive, dangerous rhetoric.” 

6. Linda Sarsour

Terrorist sympathizer and outspoken anti-Semite Linda Sarsour seemed to imply that Trump was either lying about his diagnosis or that he intentionally caught COVID-19 in order to avoid his upcoming debate with Joe Biden.

7. The Washington Post

Soon after Trump’s announcement that he was diagnosed with a potentially fatal virus, The Washington Post tweeted a link to an opinion piece titled “Imagine what it will be like to never have to think about Trump again.”

8. Los Angeles Times

The following day, the L.A. Times compared the president’s diagnosis to the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan, with the apparent difference being that Reagan “hadn’t spent months downplaying assassins.”

9. Cameron Kasky

Anti-gun activist Cameron Kasky joined us topless from his toilet to laugh about Trump’s diagnosis. He also responded directly to the president, writing, “I hope you get a mutation of the virus that makes your anus fall off,” and “inject some bleach.” 

10. Daniel Golson

Roadshow’s Daniel Golson posted this now-deleted tweet: “I don’t feel bad about hoping he dies because I’ve been hoping that since 2015.”

11. Danielle Muscato

Black Lives Matter activist Danielle Muscato offered this opinion: “I’m not one to laugh at other people’s suffering, but…. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Burn in hell you mother f***er.”

12. Brad Gallaway

Blogger Brad Gallaway tweeted: “I don’t want the current powers of the GOP to rally behind someone savvier and more civilized than Trump because we’re already in enough trouble as it is, but I’m not gonna pretend and be polite here – i hope Trump f***ing dies a painful COVID death and I’m not sorry.”

13. Zara Rahim

Former Obama administration official and Clinton presidential campaign worker also hoped for Trump’s death.

14. Andy Slavitt

Former Obama administration official pre-empted Trump’s announcement to push the “hoax” lie.

15. Max Berger

Former Elizabeth Warren campaign staffer Max Berger wrote: “Praying Our President doesn’t die of the preventable illness that he inflicted upon millions of Americans,” and “I can’t think of anything more distasteful than wishing death upon another human, except maybe causing preventable mass death because you don’t want to damage the stock market or your reelection chances.”

16. Michael Bonfiglio

Film director Michael Bonfiglio tweeted: “I hope Trump’s diagnosis wakes his supporters up to the reality of the pandemic and also that it makes him suffer and die.”

17. Zach Braff

“Scrubs” star Zach Braff responded with “But we were told this was a hoax,” pushing the utter falsehood repeatedly echoed by the media that Trump stated that COVID-19 is a hoax.

18. Alex Blagg

Writer Alex Blagg provided us with this (now deleted) tweet: “Just a quick note of support for Hope Hicks and President Trump I hope they both die.”

19. Yvette Nicole Brown

“Community” actress Yvette Nicole Brown also pushed the “Democratic hoax” lie.

20. Adam Rippon

Yet another verified Twitter user, former figure skater Adam Rippon, pushed this same lie.

21. Dove Cameron

Disney Channel actress Dove Cameron joined the “hoax” parade.

22. Rob Reiner

Actor Rob Reiner, who in March demanded that Trump be removed from office, also pushed the hoax lie.

23. Padma Lakshmi

Host of Hulu’s “Taste The Nation,” Padma Lakshmi, described Trump’s diagnosis as “karma.”

24. Cardi B

It will surprise readers to see Cardi B on any list regarding classlessness. Unfortunately, she earned her spot.

25. Jennifer Rubin

Never-Trumper and “conservative” opinion writer Jennifer Rubin added “COVID-19” to her ever-growing list of reasons why Donald Trump should immediately resign.

26. George Conway

Founding member of The Lincoln Project, George Conway, offered this nugget of deep insight.

27. Neha Poonia

Journalist Neha Poonia used Trump’s diagnosis to push several political positions, including the statement that Trump “contributed the most to the spread of misinformation” about the pandemic. This, itself, is misinformation, given that this conclusion was based on a study which simply counted how many misleading articles “featured Donald Trump.” 

28. Josh Butler

Political Editor of the Australian “New Daily” offered this attempted dunk on the president, despite the fact that “one day” was never defined by Trump.

Ian Haworth is host of The Ian Haworth Show and The Truth in 60 Seconds. Follow him on Twitter at @ighaworth.

The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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