Trump's bravado is understandable but dangerous

From the moment this coronavirus pandemic hit the world, Donald Trump adopted what can only be called a Lone Ranger take-em-all-on approach. He refused to be cowed by the virus. America is great, America doesn't get beaten by a virus sent by the Chinese. And above all the president of the United States will lead the charge to prove that all this fuss has to be pushed to one side in the hell-for-leather plan to make America great again, the greatest power on Earth. That's the Trump philosophy in a nutshell when it comes to Covid-19. Slowly, bit by bit he has been forced to acknowledge that the pandemic was actually pretty serious but the administration was doing everything in its power to meet the challenge. Now here we are, seven or eight months later and there are 210,000 Americans dead from the virus and the president himself sick with the virus but claiming that he's fine and dandy and ready to be reelected. All this bravado from Walter Reed medical centre is par for the course. In his view he cannot under any circumstances give the impression that the virus is so serious that it might even incapacitate him and prevent him from being the president. Never mind the appalling thought (his thinking) of allowing someone else to take over even for a few days, or hours while he recovers. No, sir. This president is made of better stuff, he will survive, he will endure, he will fight, he WILL be president for years to come. I actually can understand all that. When you are a big man physically, like Trump, and you depend for your very existence on a sort of super omniscient confidence, as he does, it would be fatal to even hint that he might be a touch fragile right now. Can you ever imagine Trump telling the nation: "Sorry, folks, this virus has got to me, I feel terrible, I'm going to take to my bed for several weeks and let Mike Pence take over the reins for a bit." No, of couse not. His supporters believe he is immortal. There was some Trump supporter sounding off outside Walter Reed yesterday, saying he would be prepared to die for the president. I noticed the TV cameraman never actually focused on or interviewed the Trump fan but his voice was so loud the camera crew couldn't shut him out. This is what Trump is up against. He has created this godlike persona and thus can never admit to weakness. But how dangerous is this? Not just for him but for his supporters and for the nation as a whole. He says, "don't be afraid of the virus, look at me I've had it and I'm feeling better than I have for 20 years. It's great!" Sorry, Mr President, that may well be fine for you and you may be trying to stir the nation to be super immortals but for lesser folk life is still scary and uncertain and unpredictable, and for the families of 210,000 dead Covid victims, bravado from the Top Man just doesn't cut it.