Onaje McDowelle
In a tweet Monday, President Donald Trump announced that he would officially be returning from treatment at the Walter Reed Medical Center to the White House after testing positive for COVID-19. Marvel’s Captain America star Chris Evans responded with sharp criticism to the President’s tweet after Trump assured followers not to be “afraid” of COVID-19.
Trump was admitted into the hospital late last week after contracting the virus and was reportedly showing “very concerning” symptoms, according to Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. It is stated that POTUS had to be put on oxygen during his time in the hospital in addition to being dosed with several experimental drugs such as dexamethasone, which the World Health Organization reserves as a recommended treatment for severe and critical cases of the virus.
“I will be leaving the great Walter Reed Medical Center today at 6:30 P.M.,” Trump wrote. “Feeling really good! Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump administration, some really great drugs and knowledge.”
Evans tweeted an outraged response to Trump’s statements, noting the recklessness of the president’s lack of foresight and empathy regarding the coronavirus which has now killed over 200,000 Americans.
“Don’t be afraid of Covid?!,” wrote Evans. “You’ve been under round-the-clock care by the best doctors using the best drugs. Do you really think everyone has access to that?! Sadly, I’m sure you’re aware of that disparity, you just don’t care. This is reckless to a shocking degree, even for you.”
Evans’ response has quickly gained widespread support amongst netizens, many of whom have been personally impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
One user wrote in a response, “I’m crying while typing. My dad passed away from COVID. His tweet is one of the most offensive things I’ve seen. He’s mocking the 210,000+ who have died – mostly alone. My dad didn’t want COVID to dominate his life either.”
Another user added her insight as a medical professional, saying “I work for the nhs in Scotland and this drives me insane this is a serious illness and telling people it’s ok and not to be scared is beyond incomprehensible this is killing people and every day.”
Trump will continue to receive treatment and be closely monitored by medical professionals upon his return to the White House. Currently, over 210,000 Americans have died due to COVID-19.
H/T BuzzFeed