Eva Levin copy editor
I think the irony did it for me. He lied about the severity of it to his 300 million constituents. He peddled an unapproved drug as a cure. He mocked his opponent on national television for following CDC guidelines. Then, he got it. You know what the worst thing is? You definitely already know who I am talking about. 
 
President Donald J. Trump announced via Twitter (very professional, Mr. President) that he contracted COVID-19 on Oct. 1. What followed was a confusing array of internet rumors, cancelled debates, and huge question marks. 
 
It all happened so fast. He tweeted it, then came the news blast, then came his mild symptoms, then came his transfer to Walter Reed Medical Center, then came the confusing messages from doctors, then came, then came, then came. Even almost a month later, it feels there is always a new update on this one particular subject. The news keeps coming and the cases in the White House keep climbing.
 
There were quite a few people who thought Trump’s positive test was a hoax. To quote Colin Jost of Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update, “It’s a bad sign for America when Trump tested positive for a virus, 60 percent of people were like, ‘Prove it.’” Jost is right. It’s depressing how first instincts lead to assumptions that Trump faked having COVID. Think about it for a second. It, unfortunately, would line up with his whole shtick. He came off like a crazy person at the first debate, everyone talks about that, he gets COVID, bada bing bada boom, no one is talking about the debate. Still, this was no hoax. This was real stuff with real ramifications for real people.
 
As to be expected, the world went into shock. So did Beverly Hills. After all, a sizable chunk of the city did vote for him in 2016. The support for Trump visibly grew in the past four years, evidenced by the new weekly gatherings right in front of the historic Beverly Hills sign on Santa Monica Boulevard. So, what did a city that enthusiastically supports a dogmatic leader do after said leader caught the virus and caught himself spreading lies that cost over 200,000 American lives? Why, nothing, of course!
 
Gatherings of Trump supporters still continue, most of which are maskless. Take a walk outside and play the easiest game since tic tac toe: “spot the anti-masker!” It’s a game comprised of 5% observation, 0% strategy, and 95% suffering.  Social distancing and other safety guidelines continue to be ignored and flouted, even after Trump’s diagnosis. The most probable reason: his recovery.
 
He recovered in Walter Reed Hospital after receiving an experimental antibody cocktail unapproved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and the best medical care available in the country. Then, he had the audacity to tell the American people, “Don’t be afraid of COVID.” 
 
How dare he. How dare he equate his extravagant experience with that of the average American. How dare he convince his very, very, loyal base that this GLOBAL PANDEMIC is nothing to worry about. How dare he put the safety of the country at risk. How dare he. Medical workers risk their lives every single day, even as their nation’s leader continues to say the virus is no biggie. They are constantly in danger around the clock, and Trump has the nerve to continue to downplay the virus. It sets off a terrifying and deathly domino effect. When Trump tells his supporters to care less, they take less precautions. When people take less precautions, they are more likely to get sick and even hospitalized, putting more medical workers at risk.
 
With his continued rallies and his administration’s refusal to release when Trump first tested positive and when he last tested negative, he continues to put people’s safety at risk. By now, it’s obvious he places his personal gain and image above the actual, literal, lives of the people who built him up in the first place. 
 
Back to the irony. If you support Trump or like him because “he tells it like it is,” his lying about the severity of this disease is an attack on you. If you support Trump because he “has the American people’s interests at heart,” he is directly placing American lives in danger as we speak. If you support Trump because “the economy is doing great,” our current economy is in shambles. Trump is, simply put, a lying liar who lies.