KEY POINTS

  • President Donald Trump says the deaths from coronavirus pandemic has affected him
  • He assured everyone that he is doing everything he can
  • Trump: The economy will be "raging" next year

President Donald Trump shared a special message for Americans struggling with the coronavirus pandemic and the impact of the lockdown. He assured everyone that he and his administration are working hard and doing everything they can to help, including sending “vast amounts of money” and making sure this money reaches the people who need it.

“I don’t sleep at night thinking about it,” Trump said in an interview with ABC News when he was asked about the thousands of people who have lost loved ones to the coronavirus. He was optimistic that the economy will be “raging” next year, but also acknowledged that can never replace the people who have lost their lives. The President assured everyone that he is working hard to build something that people will be “very proud of.”

The message showed a side of Trump that is not visible among the heightened partisan politics that has swirled around him since he became President -- a concern for the well being of Americans and America.

Trump acknowledged that there are people who have suffered “badly” during this pandemic and there are those who have “just made it.” He said that the situation has affected him and said he has to defeat this “enemy.”

The main message Trump had for people who have lost loved ones is “we love [you]” and “we’re with you.” The President said he is working hard to protect people who are over 60 years old, who are most vulnerable to the coronavirus, and added that he wants those who have contracted the virus to get better.

The issue of people’s hardship is something that came up in Trump’s speech at the Honeywell factory in Phoenix as well. “We mourn for every life lost, we pray for every victim, and we shoulder this burden together as one people, one family, and one great American nation,” he said. Trump added that the “profound commitment” of the citizens has helped to flatten the curve and the next phase of the battle has started as the country slowly begins to open up.

Trump visited Tuesday the Honeywell production facility where the employees are making the N95 respirator masks. “With your help we will vanquish the virus and build a future of greatness and glory with American heart, American hands, American pride, and American soul,” the President said in a video he released online.

Interestingly, what made headlines was not Trump's concern for the people's suffering but that he was not wearing a mask.

US President Donald Trump tours a Honeywell International plant that manufactures personal protective equipment in Phoenix, Arizona
US President Donald Trump tours a Honeywell International plant that manufactures personal protective equipment in Phoenix, Arizona AFP / Brendan Smialowski