Friday morning, after President Donald Trump had announced that he, Mrs. Trump, and a number of their staffs had tested positive for COVID-19, some in the media couldn’t help but to broadcast their sheer glee and classless desires for the earthly demise of their political opponents.
The Washington Post even published an op-ed entitled, “To never have to think about President Trump again,” not less than an hour after the announcement. They soon thereafter said the op-ed was unrelated to the diagnosis, but obviously the author was already thinking about the demise of the president – illness or otherwise.
While Joe Biden was gracious and kind with his tweet, a tsunami wave of leftists and celebrities immediately flocked to Twitter to celebrate the president and first lady’s illnesses – ranging from joy to outright hatred. As Allan Greenblatt wrote, this incident has exposed the ugly reality of the current-day political divide in America.
On social media, some have expressed hope that Trump ends up on a ventilator, that he would infect other Republicans, or that he would die. Our supposedly civilized society should be ashamed of itself.
“A tweet posted minutes after Trump’s announcement that read, ‘my tl (timeline) just turned into whatever the opposite of a prayer circle is,’ has received more than 300,000 likes. One illustration showed the words ‘thoughts’ and ‘prayers’ tattooed on a pair of extended middle fingers,” Greenblatt observed in his piece at Governance.
The fact that North Korean communist dictator Kim Jong Un has the human decency to send well-wishes, while the left openly celebrates his diminished health should tell you a lot about how far the Democrats have fallen. The Devil is behind their thoughts and words – plain and simple.
Philippians 2:3 says, “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”
It’s a principle not easily observed by those who want to shove the Bible into irrelevance and push Christians back into the catacombs.
But let’s talk for a moment about the real, practical implications of this event.
While illness is always a reality of our world – and especially in 2020 – the Democrats didn’t waste a single moment politicizing it. After several members of the Senate Judiciary committee tested positive for COVID, Democrat leaders suggested that Republicans should delay the confirmation hearings of Judge Amy Coney Barrett – knowing that the longer they can drag out the process the most likely they are to defeat her nomination.
Saturday, the White House announced that President Trump has chosen to work from the presidential office at Walter Reed Medical Center, apparently in an abundance of caution, in the event that he needs medical attention. And of course, rumors have been circulating in major media that President Trump may not be as “asymptomatic” as was originally implied by his doctors.
Whether President Trump is or is not in as serious of a condition as New York Times has implied, the reality is that he’s still in a category thought to be more vulnerable.
Undoubtedly, the White House has been forced to have conversations about succession in the event that President Trump is incapacitated for a period of time, or worse. Certainly, Vice President Mike Pence will need to increase his role and responsibility as we sit inside a month before the general election. It was already a tumultuous time for the nation.
Now, more than ever, we need to do two things: 1.) be in fervent prayer for President Trump and all our nation’s leaders – those who are sick and those who are keeping from illness, and 2.) to examine the hearts and motivations of those who are jockeying for power, like jackals, during this time of uncertainty and upheaval.
These aren’t just challenging times; they’re truly unprecedented.
I implore you to use your discernment as we head towards November 3rd, and remember that our job as responsible citizens is to steward God’s authority to the best of our ability, no matter who occupies the White House, U.S. Senate, or Congress.
