Given the president’s apparent, past reluctance to support the science in terms of how best to contain the coronavirus, some Bronxites appear to have little sympathy for him following his diagnosis, while other Bronxites are quite demonstrative in their support for him.

Belmont resident Rosa Velasquez said she believed the president would use his positive COVID-19 diagnosis to his political advantage. “They’re going to say he took the new COVID-19 shot, and he’s cured,” she said.

Meanwhile, Heather Guerino of Norwood said, “I have to, honestly, say that he got what he deserved.” Asked if she thought Trump would wear a mask in the future, she replied, “No, because he’s stubborn and he’s selfish and he’s self-centered.”

Sal Conforto of Morris Park was supportive of the president. “I hope he feels better,” she said. “The country needs him.”

Trump downplayed the severity of the virus to the public in the early months of the pandemic, even though it was reported that he understood how dangerous it was. He later said he did so in an attempt to curtail panic. However, he also resisted wearing a mask initially, even when his own White House Coronavirus Task Force and other U.S. health officials recommended it, and he mocked former Vice President Joe Biden for wearing his.

In fact, such was the extent of both the disinformation and misinformation spread online about the coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) had to issue a list of coronavirus myth busters at a certain point, and the CDC also had to refute rumors in an effort to protect public health amid the crisis.

Julio Cutanda of Norwood said, “It came back to bite him in the ass now, because he was laughing at (Joe) Biden, the vice president, wearing a big mask. Now he’s got the virus that he was saying was going to go away, but never did.” Cutanda added, “I mean if I was the leader, when it came into the country, I would have hit it with a hammer real hard, real quick with everything I got. That’s what I would have done and he didn’t do that.”

Anthony Rivieccio of Bedford Park said he was not a supporter of the president but that nobody from the left, ultra left or ultra right nor anyone should wish him ill will. “It is the worst. Any chance he had is now dead. No matter what anyone says publicly, when it’s time to vote, you’ll remember the president is sick, even if he’s 100 percent healthy,” he said. “The swing votes will be his killer in this regard.”

Meanwhile, on Staten Island, a number of residents got together over the weekend to send the president a video message wishing him well.

#StatenIsland New York wishes you well Mr. President! “Get well soon” @realDonaldTrump. pic.twitter.com/YxdSQAatND

— Nicole Malliotakis (@NMalliotakis) October 3, 2020

Back in the Bronx, at least one mural photographed by Norwood News appeared to disparage the president, while at Ericson Place in the Schuylerville section of the Bronx, his supporters hung flags and banners to show their support for him.

The U.S. intelligence community have said that the president benefited from the spread of disinformation by Russia about former presidential candidate, Sec. Hillary Clinton, in the 2016 election.

With confirmation last week by bi-partisan elected officials and the intelligence community that the Russian government is, once again, trying to spread disinformation among American voters in the lead up to the 2020 election, this is another reason why some voters are frustrated that the science behind the coronavirus was weaponized and conflated as a political issue, through the spread of misinformation.

A recent poll conducted by Cornell University found that the president’s name was linked to almost 38 percent of all misinformation about the coronavirus circulating online.  

As previously reported by Norwood News, the president’s doctors announced on Saturday that he is being administered the Bronx-trialed drug, remdesivir, as part of his treatment. Though he had previously voiced his belief regarding the benefits of hydroxychloroquine in treating COVID-19, and had even admitted that he was taking the drug at one point, his doctors said it was not part of his current treatment.

A number of the White House staff members have also tested positive for the coronavirus in the last week, the most recent being the White House press secretary, Kaleigh McEnany.

The president has since been discharged from hospital and has returned to the White House.

admin

Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.