I am not fan of Donald Trump, but then again, I am not really a fan of most politicians; but far too few people realize that you do not have to be a fan of someone to recognize their humanity, to remember that they are a human being. A simple recognition of someone's humanity allows us to strengthen our critique of said person because then we are able to divorce ourselves from at least the majority of our various biases. So I was absolutely fascinated to learn that Donald Trump's exposure to Covid-19 was a lot more serious than he made it sound. Sure, I had an inkling that Trump was not faring well, but there was no way to know of the severity of his illness at the time. "When Trump was admitted to Walter Reed Hospital with Covid symptoms last  fall, Mark Meadows, his then chief of staff, feared the president might  die, according to an article in the Washington Post adapted from Nightmare Scenario, a book about Trump’s response to the pandemic." (Forbes) Trump was actually told by medical professionals at the time, along with some members of his own administration, to stay in the hospital, but he refused. Although this may just seem like another stupid decision of Trump's, this is a common occurrence in America. Many people go against their doctor's orders, citing concerns about "Big Pharma" or preferring to use "natural therapies", which are often even more lethal than side effects of FDA approved treatments. Trump was so desperate to appear as if he was super human that members of his administration requested that therapies, which at the time were simply experimental, be used on the president of the wealthiest nation in the world. Now that is desperation folks. You may not be able to fully appreciate that, but I sure can. Experimental therapies are never used on a sitting president. Though the therapy was approved for use before it was given to Trump, this only occurred because it was requested by Trump's administration. Hat it not been requested, it most likely would not have been approved at the time. "As Trump lay ill, then Food and Drug Administration commissioner Stephen  Hahn received an urgent request from a top White House official about  fast-tracking authorization for a monoclonal antibody treatment not yet  approved by the agency." (Forbes) Why is a president of the most powerful nation to ever exist so afraid of being perceived by his followers as unwell? Well, some of it is pride, but pride does not just pop up out of nowhere; it is a byproduct of American nationalism. Consider the what Donald Trump tweeted to his followers the same month he would later be hospitalized with Covid-19: a meme with a picture of Joe Biden superimposed over an elderly person sitting in a wheelchair, who also appears to be in a retirement home; the tweet reads "Biden for President" with the p crossed out, causing it to read "Biden for Resident". The tweet received 422 likes. But it also played a huge part in driving away a lot of elderly people from voting for Trump in 2020. This, along with Trumpers recently booing Bill O'Rieley and Donald Trump for getting their booster shots, demonstrates that the Trump base is nowhere near as respectful of their elders as they like to pretend. The harsh truth about America is that it often uses this very ableist and ageist narrative, making cartoons out of disabled people as well as elderly people in order to gain likes and follows from those who lack empathy. Making a mockery of the sick and the aged became extremely popular during the eugenics movement in this country. Those who needed care or who were ill, a large number of whom were elderly, were seen as blemishes and burdens on society.