When Melania Criticized Donald Trump’s Lack of Concern for the COVID Pandemic: “You’re Blowing This”
The way that former President Donald Trump handled COVID-19 back in March 2020 angered millions of Americans. Melania Trump, the former first lady, was also extremely troubled by his seeming lack of concern. New Yorker staff writer and CNN global affairs analyst, Susan Glasser and New York Times chief White House correspondent, Peter Baker claimed that the former first lady was "convinced that Trump was screwing up and rattled by the coronavirus. As per CNN, they wrote in detail about the situation in their 2022 released book: The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017–2021. The writers claimed that Melania expressed her concerns to former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie over the phone, purportedly stating that she had informed her husband: "You're blowing this. This is serious. It's going to be bad, and you need to take it more seriously than you're taking it." Trump had however bluntly dismissed her concerns saying: "You worry too much. Forget it."
As People reported, during the early stages of the epidemic, Trump publicly wavered on the necessity of mask wear and continued to hold large-scale (often indoor) campaign rallies despite public health standards' advice against it. He was also unwavering in his belief that the virus would go away. The Republican leader had declared in April 2020 that he would not wear a mask despite the announcement of new regulatory guidelines that encouraged their use. By July, he had shifted his position and stated, "I'm all for masks ... If I were in a tight situation with people, I would wear one." He hesitated once more in August, referring to masks as "patriotic" but equivocating on the point: "Maybe they're great, and maybe they're just good. Maybe they're not so good."
Then, in September, at his first presidential debate with Joe Biden, Trump ridiculed the Democrat leader for donning a mask while simultaneously stating that he supported their use. "Every time you see him, he's got a mask," Trump mocked. "He could be speaking 200 feet away from it, he shows up with the biggest mask I've ever seen." Trump and Melania both tested positive for the illness two days later. "As too many Americans have done this year, @potus & I are quarantining at home after testing positive for COVID-19," Melania wrote on Twitter back then. "We are feeling good & I have postponed all upcoming engagements. Please be sure you are staying safe & we will all get through this together."
The former first lady missed some of her husband's campaign rallies due to "a lingering cough," while Trump was finally hospitalized with the flu but soon recovered. "Melania does not like being in the public eye and has made it clear that she isn't interested in doing it again," a political insider told the publication in September 2022. "She likes family and her private life," the source added. "The media glare is not for her."
