COVID victim's daughter: Trump 'killed' people with mask stunt on White House balcony

Fiana Tulip, who lost her mother to COVID-19, on Tuesday criticized Donald Trump’s removal of his face mask on the White House balcony as an action that “killed” people.

“It was the cruelest visual yet,” Tulip told CNN. “Yesterday’s tweet was the cruelest tweet yet. And I truly do wonder how many people he killed with his actions yesterday.”

“He is just disregarding the 210,000 Americans who have lost their lives and the millions of people who are suffering.”

Despite being contagious, Trump left Walter Reed hospital on Monday night and went back to the White House. As he filmed a promotional video, Trump removed his mask. At least 11 people who work around Trump in the White House have reported positive COVID-19 tests so far.

Tulip’s mother, Isabelle Papadimitriou, was a respiratory therapist in Texas. She died on July 4, a week after she was infected with COVID-19.

In a text message to her family, Papadimitriou said she believed she was infected by the relative of a COVID-19 patient who refused to wear a mask.

“She told me it was her right not to wear a mask and that her President doesn’t wear one why should she,” Papadimitriou wrote.

From the Oct. 6 edition of CNN’s “New Day”:

JOHN BERMAN, CNN: Given the loss of your mother now, a couple months ago, what did it feel like last night, to see the president walk onto the balcony of the White House and so proudly take the mask off?

 

FIANA TULIP: It was the cruelest visual yet. Yesterday’s tweet was the cruelest tweet yet. And I truly do wonder how many people he killed with his actions yesterday.

 

He’s been rejecting science for the past 8 months. He hasn’t been putting policies in place to protect anyone. And today’s bombshell of a tweet … I never thought I would be as surprised as I was yesterday, but I continue to be surprised.

 

He is just disregarding the 210,000 Americans who have lost their lives and the millions of people who are suffering.

 

And COVID is not only dominating some people’s lives, but it is ending them, and we need a leader who is going to protect us. We need a leader who is going to send the right message to keep us safe, and we just don’t have that right now.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.