Trump said it's 'beautiful' to see 'nurses running into death just like soldiers running into bullets'
Why isn't Trump running to the aid of all Americans?
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
By this point, you'd think there was nothing left Donald Trump could say that would be more distasteful than any of his previous remarks.
But Trump being Trump, he has to go bigger and better (read: even more casually offensive) than ever before.
He's now caused widespread ire by an off-script ramble about healthcare workers, in which he described them "running into death" like "soldiers" and called it "beautiful".
The comments were made during a speech at a medical equipment distribution centre in Pennsylvania, as Trump announced expanding the Strategic National Stockpile to include 90-days worth of testing equipment and medication after it was early exhausted.
Trump says doctors and nurses are "running into death just like soldiers running into bullets" and that "it's a beautiful thing to see." pic.twitter.com/UEHUi3gIhT
— The American Independent (@AmerIndependent) May 14, 2020
Beginning by calling nurses and doctors "healthcare warriors", the speech quickly went south.
The moment this terrible virus reached our shores, each of you has worked relentlessly to get the vital supplies to our healthcare warriors.
And they are warriors aren't they, when you see them going into those hospitals and they're putting the stuff that you deliver, but they're wrapping themselves, and the doors are opening, and they're going through the doors, and they're not even ready to go through those doors, they probably shouldn't, but they can't get there fast enough, and they're running into death just like soldiers run into bullets in a true sense.
I see that with the doctors and the nurses and so many of the people that go into those hospitals, it's incredible to see, it's a beautiful thing to see.
Attempts to draw parallels between healthcare workers and military narratives, such as calling them 'heroes' have drawn criticism in recent weeks.
A mental health guide issued by the European Health Journal advised that calling UK NHS staff "heroes" or "angels" could cause severe psychological strain.
"The 'hero' and 'angel' tropes which we see bandied about are also highly problematic because they make it look as if people signed up to die, like a hero does, but they didn't," said Dr Esther Murray, who contributed to the guide.
It also makes it harder for NHS staff to talk about how they really feel because opinions get polarised - are you a hero or a coward?
A lot of staff feel like cowards but they are not at all, they're just quite justifiably frightened and angry.
American commentators have also voiced concern at using war metaphors to describe the experience of healthcare workers, with writer Talia Lavin saying "The rhetoric of heroism implies that those forced needlessly to labor unprotected amidst threat to their lives must be grateful for a chance at martyrdom."
"The rhetoric of heroism—with its encouragement of sacrifice for the fatherland—obscures the fact that so much of this suffering is unnecessary".
Trump's most recent comments sparked anger.
doctors and nurses don't need to die. Just give them their god damn ppe https://t.co/dJcKQvy8MX
— Kombiz Lavasany (@kombiz) May 14, 2020
Theresa Brown, a clinical nurse, expressed horror at Trump's use of "beautiful".
Oh. My. God. Nurses and doctors are not soldiers and seeing them put their lives at risk to save patients is many things, but never beautiful. https://t.co/HnQI5RwP1Q
— TheresaBrown (@TheresaBrown) May 14, 2020
Others were quick to remind people of Trump's previous comments regarding healthcare workers.
Not that long ago, Trump implied that health care workers might be stealing PPE. Don't forget that. Never forget that. https://t.co/LS3Zz9iVfv
— Please Stay Home (@DanSlott) May 14, 2020
An important reminder: healthcare workers are not soldiers. They are not trained to face death themselves. Their job is to help sick people, armed with the correct equipment.
There should be no need to talk of "sacrifice" because our healthcare workers shouldn't be having to make one.
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Well now, isn't that deplorable? Vote for Biden 2020!
Absolutely. However, that word is just worn as a badge of honor by Trump supporters so this won't have any effect on their pathological loyalty.
At what point do even his staunchest supporters realize that Trump is insane?
"Say honey - did you think the Flavor-Aid had a funny taste or is it just me? "
They know he's insane, crazy as a ****house rat, bat****crazy, mo fo. They just love sticking it to the liberals! That's what they live for, obviously.
Some of them are as crazy as he is.
For once he's praising somebody besides the KKK.
Did he use the right words? That's debatable. But I can't bash him for praising health care workers.
Let's just hope all of the essential workers don't come down with bone spurs. Slows you down when you are running into bullets and BS.
He's praising the courage of health care workers . . . and you're offended?? Some people want to be unhappy.
Honestly, how could this:
bother anyone??
They point out that he starts on a high note as you say:
"Beginning by calling nurses and doctors "healthcare warriors", the speech quickly went south"
But then they note where the speech went from there, so no one was offended by the part you posted.
The part most sane people have a problem with was:
"and they're not even ready to go through those doors, they probably shouldn't, but they can't get there fast enough, and they're running into death just like soldiers run into bullets in a true sense. I see that with the doctors and the nurses and so many of the people that go into those hospitals, it's incredible to see, it's a beautiful thing to see."
I think most sane rational persons would see that as horrific and terrible that nurses and doctors are being sacrificed on the front lines in this war on a global pandemic. I believe few would consider such a thing "beautiful" which was the concern noted in the seed.
The way they phrased it, it didn't seem like they thought even the "healthcare warriors" part was a good thing. I didn't see where they called it a high note. To me, it was more like they thought it started bad and got worse from there.
But they're not being sacrificed. No one is making them do the work. They are making a choice to do something scary. Seriously, you don't think an act of courage can be beautiful?
I can't say the word is specifically the one I would have chosen, but I have seen many people praise the courage of healthcare works as - to use a more generalized term - a good thing.
Do you honestly have any doubt that Trump was trying to praise these people?
I think people see what they want to see. I have several nurses in my extended family and they have all rushed in to serve in this pandemic. Three are ICU nurses who have been working every day in the middle of it rather than run away and allow people to suffer. If that courage isn't a beautiful thing I don't know what is.