The opening night of the Democrats’ all-virtual convention included several nationally recognized politicians tackling topics such as systemic racism, police violence and economic recovery.
But some of the most striking remarks came from a woman a few Americans may have heard of before Monday.
That speaker, Kristin Urquiza, whose father died in Arizona this summer, opened her short but impatient speech bluntly: “I’m one of the many who have lost a loved one to Covid,” she said. “My father, Mark Anthony Urquiza, should be here today, but he is not.”
The reason, she claimed, was President Trump.
“My father was a healthy 65-year-old,” she said. “His only existing condition was to trust Donald Trump – and for that he paid with his life.”
Ms Urquiza received attention this year when she wrote a statement published in the Republic of Arizona, in which she blamed the death of her father at the feet of the state and federal leaders and their treatment of ‘. a coronavirus pandemic.
On Monday, she ran her mind through in front of a nationwide television audience, saying her father had voted for Mr. Trump, had “confidence” in him and had believed it would be OK to move to Arizona after his stay. a karaoke bar to go -at-home order was lifted.
Speaking as photos of her father flashed across the screen, Ms Urquiza said he “died alone, in the ICU, with a nurse holding his hand.”
“Donald Trump may not have caused the coronavirus, but his dishonesty and his irresponsible actions made it so much less,” she said.
“One of the last things my father said to me was that he felt betrayed like Donald Trump,” she added. “And so if I cast my vote for Joe Biden, I’ll do it for my father.”
Ms Urquiza’s message will be underlined in an advertisement that will be released on Tuesday by the Nuestro PAC, a super PAC led by former staff of Senator Bernie Sanders targeting Latino voters. The ad will air in Arizona and North Carolina to begin.
Here is a rough transcript of her remarks Monday at the Democratic National Convention:
Kristin Urquiza: Hi. I’m Kristin Urquiza. I’m one of the many who have lost a loved one to Covid. My dad, Mark Anthony Urquiza, should be here today, but he is not. He had confidence in Donald Trump. He voted for him, listened to him, believed him and his mouth pieces when they said that coronavirus was under control and disappeared, that it was OK to end social distancing rules before it was safe, and that if you did not have underlying health conditions had you would probably be fine.
So in late May, after the order to stay home in Arizona was lifted, my dad went to a karaoke bar with his friends. A few weeks later he was sitting on a ventilator, and after five days he died alone, in the ICU, with a nurse holding his hand. My father was a healthy 65-year-old. His only pre-existing state was to trust Donald Trump – and for that he paid with his life.
I’m not alone. When I told my story, many people reached out to me to share it. They asked me to keep the community safe, especially communities of color, which are disproportionately affected. They asked me, a normal person, to help, because Donald Trump will not.
The coronavirus has made it clear that there are two Americans: the America in which Donald Trump lives and the America in which my father died. Enough is enough. Donald Trump may not have caused the coronavirus, but his dishonesty and his irresponsible actions made it so much worse.
We need a leader who has a national, coordinated, data-driven response to stop the pandemic of claiming more lives and safely reopen the country. We need a leader who will step in one day and do his job: care.
One of the last things my dad said to me was that he felt betrayed by the likes of Donald Trump. And so I will do it for my father when I cast my vote for Joe Biden.
Jennifer Medina contributed reporting.
