几个小时后，他出院了冠状病毒周一诊断，特朗普总统发微博表达他的想法在这场导致超过21万美国人死亡的流行病上，他说，“不要害怕。”
在推特上，总统的支持者称赞他的力量，并称赞他的信息，称他为“我们敬爱的总统”和“有史以来最好的总统!”
但对于许多因疾病失去亲人的家庭，以及第一反应者和其他倡导者来说，反应大相径庭。他们中的许多人抨击了总统的傲慢情绪，并警告说这可能会使局势恶化。
布莱恩·沃尔特(Brian Walter)是纽约市的一名运输工人，他的父亲死于这种病毒，他在一份声明中告诉美国广播公司新闻，特朗普给人们的建议是不要害怕冠状病毒“伤害”。
他说:“这让我为所有仍将经历失去亲人的家庭感到担忧，因为我们的总统拒绝认真对待这场流行病。”
2020年10月4日，在华盛顿白宫南侧的椭圆广场，在全国新冠肺炎纪念活动中，空椅子代表了因新冠肺炎而丧生的20多万人的一小部分。
沃尔特是幸存者网络和倡导组织COVID幸存者促进变革组织的成员，该组织一直在记录这场流行病给数百万美国人带来的损失。周日，该组织在白宫对面的草坪上安装了20，000把空椅子，象征着美国新冠肺炎的死亡。
COVID幸存者促进变革组织(COVID Survivors for Change)执行董事克里斯·科赫(Chris Kocher)在一份声明中表示，特朗普的推特让他大吃一惊，因为他拥有世界上最好的医疗保健和治疗——这是大多数冠状病毒患者所没有的奢侈品。
特朗普的医生告诉媒体，他是服用了几种药物包括一种抗体混合物，remdesivir和类固醇。
“对于那些连续数月患有新冠肺炎症状的长途运输者来说，这种病毒非常可怕。特朗普不在乎，他仍然不明白这些家庭正在经历什么，”科赫在一份声明中说。
美国医学协会主席苏珊·贝利敦促美国人继续听从医生和健康专家的警告。
“我们知道警惕是应对新冠肺炎大流行的最佳对策，因为这种病毒不以恐惧为食;她在一份声明中说。
纽约市护士丽莎·比林斯(Liza Billings)批评了特朗普对病毒的看法。她在大流行中失去了哥哥，她也是COVID幸存者争取变革组织的成员。
“我看着医疗队拼命从新冠肺炎抢救病人。她在对美国广播公司新闻的一份声明中说:“这种致命而凶猛的病毒经常获胜。”。
2020年10月5日，在离开马里兰州贝塞斯达的沃尔特·里德国家军事医疗中心后，唐纳德·特朗普总统回到白宫时，站在蓝厅外的阳台上。
比林斯称特朗普不害怕病毒的信息是“对所有因新冠肺炎而失去亲人的人，以及我们所有冒着生命危险拯救他人的人的一记耳光。”
“这是一个冷酷而危险的言论，无助于阻止这场可怕的流行病，甚至可能使它变得更糟，”她说。
其中最突出的声音是克里斯汀·乌尔基萨，这位来自亚利桑那州的女性出现在民主党全国代表大会上并将她父亲的冠状病毒相关死亡归咎于特朗普的言论。乌尔基萨在推特上引用了总统的话:“在这一点上，我们唯一应该害怕的是你。”
在这一点上，我们唯一应该害怕的是你。#VoteHimOut# markedbycovidhttps://t.co/6LzJWWHvyg
——克莉丝汀·乌尔基萨，精神创伤和痛苦(她/她)(@kdurquiza)2020年10月5日
乌尔基萨在周一晚上晚些时候发给美国广播公司新闻的一份声明中说，特朗普专注于看起来强大，而不是专注于帮助国家度过危机。
“现在比以往任何时候都清楚，特朗普只关心他自己，”她说。
前副总统乔·拜登(Joe Biden)没有直接提到总统的推特，但他在迈阿密告诉一群人，总统应该听取科学家和医学专家关于大流行危险的意见。
他指出，自从总统星期五被诊断出患有新冠肺炎病毒以来，又有10多万美国人感染了这种病毒。
“我希望总统的恢复迅速而成功，”拜登说，“但我们国家的COVID危机远未结束。”
'A slap in the face': Families of COVID-19 victims slam president's downplaying of his diagnosis
Hours before he was released from a hospital stay for hiscoronavirusdiagnosis Monday, President Trumptweeted his thoughtson the pandemic that's killed over 210,000 Americans, saying, "Don't be afraid."
On Twitter, supporters of the president praised his strength and hailed his message, calling him "Our beloved President" and "BEST PRESIDENT EVER!"
But for scores of families who've lost loved ones to the disease, as well as first responders and other advocates, the response was far different. Many of them slammed the president's cavalier sentiment and warned that it could make the situation worse.
Brian Walter, a New York City transit worker who lost his father to the virus, told ABC News in a statement that Trump's advice to people not to fear the coronavirus "hurts."
"It makes me worry for all the families who will still experience the loss of a loved one because our president refuses to take this pandemic seriously," he said.
Empty chairs who represent a fraction of the more than 200,000 lives lost due to COVID-19, are seen during the National COVID-19 Remembrance, at The Ellipse outside the South side of the White House, Oct. 4, 2020, in Washington.
Walter is a member of the survivor network and advocacy group COVID Survivors for Change, which has been documenting the toll the pandemic has left on millions of Americans. On Sunday, the group installed 20,000 empty chairs on the lawn across from the White House to symbolize the nation's COVID-19 deaths.
Chris Kocher, executive director of COVID Survivors for Change, said in a statement that he was taken aback by Trump's tweet, given that he had the best health care and treatment in the world -- a luxury that most coronavirus patients don't have.
Trump's doctors told the press that he wasgiven several medicationsincluding an antibody cocktail, remdesivir and steroids.
"For the long haulers living with symptoms of COVID-19 for months on end, this virus is terrifying. Trump doesn’t care, and he still doesn’t get what families are going through," Kocher said in a statement.
Susan R. Bailey, the president of the American Medical Association, urged Americans to keep heeding warnings from doctors and health experts.
"We know vigilance is the best response to the COVID-19 pandemic because this virus doesn't feed on fear; it feeds on complacency," she said in a statement.
Liza Billings, a New York City nurse who lost her brother to the pandemic and is also member of COVID Survivors for Change, criticized Trump's take on the virus.
"I watched as medical teams fought like hell to save patients from COVID-19. All too often, this deadly and ferocious virus won," she said in a statement to ABC News.
Billings called Trump's message not to fear the virus a "slap in the face to all of those who lost a loved one to COVID-19, as well as all of us who put our lives on the line to save others."
"It’s a callous and dangerous remark that will do nothing to stop this horrifying pandemic, and may even make it worse," she said.
Among the more prominent voices speaking out was Kristin Urquiza, the Arizona woman whoappeared at the Democratic National Conventionand blamed Trump's rhetoric for her father's coronavirus-related death. Urquiza quote-tweeted the president's message saying, "At this point, the only thing we should be afraid of is you."
At this point the only thing we should be afraid of is you.#VoteHimOut#markedbycovidhttps://t.co/6LzJWWHvyg
— Kristin Urquiza, MPA (she/her) (@kdurquiza)October 5, 2020
In a statement to ABC News sent later Monday evening, Urquiza said Trump is preoccupied with looking strong instead of focusing on helping the nation through the crisis.
"It’s more clear than ever before that Trump cares about no one but himself," she said.
While not referring to the president's tweet directly, former Vice President Joe Biden told a crowd in Miami that the president should listen to the scientists and medical experts about the dangers of the pandemic.
He noted that since the president was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Friday, more than 100,000 more Americans have contracted the virus.
"I hope the president’s recovery is swift and successful," Biden said, "but our nation's COVID crisis is far, far from over."
