Donald Trump outraged many people with his tweet that urged Americans not to be “afraid of COVID,” but Amanda Kloots was especially enraged. The 38-year-old’s husband, Broadway actor, Nick Cordero, died from extreme complications due to coronavirus in July, leaving her to raise their one-year-old son, Elvis, on her own. On Oct. 5, Amanda took to social media to express her anger toward the president for his latest response to the disease.
“To all the over 208,000 Americans who lost loved ones to this virus — I stand by you, with you, holding your hand,” Amanda wrote. “Unfortunately, it did dominate our lives, didn’t it? It dominated Nick’s family’s lives and my family’s lives. I guess we “let it” — like it was our choice?? Unfortunately not everyone is lucky enough to spend two days in the hospital. I cried next to my husband for 95 days watching what COVID did to the person I love. It IS something to be afraid of. After you see the person you love the most die from this disease you would never say what this tweet says. There is no empathy to all the lives lost. He is bragging instead. It is sad. It is hurtful. It is disgraceful.”
Additionally, Amanda posted videos on her Instagram Story of herself sharing similar sentiments. She couldn’t help but get emotional in the videos, and choked back tears as she explained how much coronavirus has affected her life, despite Trump’s insistence that we shouldn’t “let it.” These heartbreaking messages come just three months after Nick passed away from COVID-19 on July 5.
The 41-year-old was first hospitalized for coronavirus on March 30. He was in critical condition and on a ventilator from the start. Less than one month later, his leg was amputated due to a blood clot, which stemmed from COVID-19 complications. He eventually began experiencing lung damage. Although Nick regained consciousness in May, he was never able to recover from the debilitating toll that coronavirus took on his body, and he died at the hospital in July.
Amanda’s latest emotional messages were in direct response to Trumps Oct. 5 tweet, which he posted after leaving the hospital amidst his own bout with COVID. “I will be leaving the great Walter Reed Medical Center today at 6:30 p.m.,” Trump, who entered the hospital on the evening of Oct. 2, wrote. “Feeling really good! Don’t be afraid of COVID. Don’t let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump administration, some really great drugs & knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years ago.”
Trump has faced extreme criticism for the way he’s handled the coronavirus in the United States, which has led to the deaths of more than 200,000 people in the country. In addition to the president and his wife, Melania Trump, several other White House personnel, including Kellyanne Conway, Hope Hicks and press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, have also tested positive for COVID.