MSNBC host Rachel Maddow called for people to “pray” for President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, following their positive Covid-19 tests, only to find her own audience rejecting the surprising sympathy from the TV star.
“God bless the president and the first lady,” Maddow tweeted on Thursday, a surprising statement from the frequent Trump critic who has accused the president of lying about everything from the pandemic to connections to Russia.
"If you pray, please pray for their speedy and complete recovery — and for everyone infected, everywhere. This virus is horrific and merciless — no one would wish its wrath on anyone. We must get its spread under control. Enough,” the MSNBC host added.
Maddow may have been in the mood to set her typical fiery criticism of Trump to the side, but she quickly found out her audience was not ready to do the same.
“No harbor for fascists,” producer Brett Banditelli responded.
"Absolutely the hell not," writer and comedian Crissle West added.
Outspoken liberal actress Minnie Driver, meanwhile, wrote that Trump only deserves “conditional compassion.”
“I am saving my compassion for the families of the 200k+ dead. He deserves conditional compassion, and the poetry of not being passed over,” the ‘Good Will Hunting’ star tweeted.
Another who responded negatively to Maddow’s posting was Zara Rahim, a former staffer for both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Rahim retweeted a simple “no” to Maddow’s call for empathy and it was part of a string of postings critical of Trump in the wake of his Covid-19 test. In another, she wrote, “It’s been against my moral identity to tweet this for the past four years, but, I hope he dies.”
White House officials have said Trump is suffering only mild symptoms and is “fatigued but in good spirits,” but continues to work in quarantine.
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