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An Arizona woman whose father died within weeks of being diagnosed with coronavirus said his “only pre-existing condition was Donald Donald, and for that he paid with his life”.
Speaking on the opening night of the Democratic National Committee’s virtual convention, Kristin Urquiza said that her “healthy 65-year-old” father Mark Anthony Urquiza was visiting friends a few weeks after visiting a karaoke bar of the state order was lifted in May.
“A few weeks later he was put on a ventilator,” she said. “After five painful days, he died alone in the ICU with a nurse holding his hand.”
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Her father had voted for the president, “listened to him, believed him and his mouths when they said coronavirus was under control and disappeared, that it was OK to end social distancing rules before it was safe, and that if you no underlying health conditions, you would probably be fine. “
The president has months of scrutiny for a delayed and seemingly messy response to a pandemic that has led to more than 170,000 U.S. deaths, what the party called its “deadly negligence.”
“One of the last things my father said to me was that he felt betrayed by the likes of Donald Trump,” she said. “So if I cast my vote for Joe Biden, I’ll do it for my father.”
In a segment addressing the public health crisis, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo – sitting behind a desk on a set to mirror his coronavirus briefings – condemned the administration’s response, accusing the president of ‘ ignoring ‘the crisis and’ trying ‘to politicize it “.
“Americans learned a critical lesson, how vulnerable we are when we are divided, and how many lives can be lost if our government is incompetent,” he said. “Donald Trump did not make the initial division. The division made Trump. He only made it worse.”
American women’s soccer player Megan Rapinoe also appeared in a segment talking to a doctor, paramedic and nurse, who called for more personal protective equipment amid national shortages.
“The coronavirus has made it clear that there are two Americans: the Americas where my father died,” Ms Urquiza said. “Enough is enough. Donald Trump may not have caused the coronavirus, but his dishonesty and irresponsible actions have made it so much worse.”
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