The news that President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have tested positive for COVID-19 lit up news websites and social media when it was announced early Friday morning.
Americans everywhere should put away partisan attitudes and wish the President and First Lady a full and speedy recovery.
The news came as it often does with the President, via an early-morning tweet by the President, hours after it was reported that presidential adviser Hope Hicks had tested positive for the virus.
Trump now becomes one of the more than 7 million Americans who have contracted the virus over the past 300 days. As of Friday, Over that time, 208,000 Americans have died from the virus.
At age 74, the President is among those who are particularly vulnerable to the most severe outcomes, but he benefits from having access to the best medical care in the world. The President’s doctor said the President is not suffering any effects from the virus and will be able to continue to perform his duties while under quarantine for an unspecified amount of time.
Assuming that the President and First Lady do make a full and speedy recovery, there may be a silver lining in play here.
Throughout the pandemic, the President has downplayed the seriousness of the virus, even to the point of withholding information about the seriousness of the virus when the first cases emerged in the U.S. There is little value in rehashing the many times the President has minimized the seriousness of the virus, contradicted medical experts and made unsubstantiated claims about testing, treatment and the availability of a vaccine.
His cavalier attitude about safety measures such as mask-wearing and social distancing is well-documented. He has continued to hold rallies drawing large crowds to confined spaces. At those rallies, audiences reflected the President’s attitude, declining to wear masks and sitting close to each other.
Trump mocked Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden’s refusal to hold large campaign rallies, as well.
By virtue of the office alone, the President exerts enormous influence and it’s certainly no different where President Trump is concerned.
His skepticism about the virus is reflected by the attitudes and actions of millions of Americans.
Now that the President has tested positive for the virus, those attitudes and actions may change. After all, if the President, whose White House has had access to daily testing and the finest medical care, can contract the virus, no one is immune to it.
In light of all this, it will be difficult for the President to minimize the threat of the virus going forward.
As someone whose influence surpasses that of any other American, Trump is now in a position to send, really for the first time, a clear, even-handed message about the importance of taking proper preventative measures.
In Mississippi one out of every 1,000 citizens has died from COVID since March. We hope, too, that Gov. Tate Reeves will take this moment to reflect on his decision Wednesday to lift the statewide mask mandate. Health officials have warned of serious consequences of easing mask mandates, especially as we head into winter.
Let’s hope that the full recovery of the President and First Lady will galvanize America’s determination to follow the precautions we know will help fight the spread of this awful pandemic.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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