As the number of coronavirus deaths on Tuesday surpassed the total number of American lives lost in the Vietnam War, President Donald Trump was asked if he has reached out to any of the families of those who died from coronavirus. His stumbling answer was basically no.
In his official capacity as President, Trump says he has not offered condolences to any of the family members of the 58,640 people who have died of coronavirus.
The President did say he’s lost several friends or acquaintances, three or four, to COVID-19, and has talked with their families.
Asked if “there were any particular stories that have affected you,” President Trump could not offer even one.
“Well I have many people, I know many stories, I’ve spoken to three – maybe, I guess, four families – unrelated to me, I did, I lost a very good friend. I also lost three other friends, uh, two of whom I didn’t know as well but they were friends,” Trump replied, describing them as, “people I did business with.”
The president, apparently unsure of what to say, went on to call dying from COVID-19 “a bad death,” and “a bad thing.”
“It grips on to some people,” he continued, saying, “Now we found out that young people do extraordinarily well – I think that we can start thinking about schools” re-opening, Trump added, pivoting. “But of course we’re ending the school season, so, you know, you wouldn’t be back for too long.”
(Young people do not necessarily do well with coronavirus.)
After meandering about for a few moments, Trump brought his remarks back to announcing, “young people do very well with this horrible scourge.”
And while there’s no expectation that Trump would contact every, or even many families of those who have died from the virus, some were surprised to learn he has not reached out to any families.