Nick Cordero Widow Amanda Kloots Slams Donald Trump COVID Advice As “Hurtful” & “Disgraceful”

Greg Evans
·4 min read

UPDATE, with video message Amanda Kloots, the former actress who chronicled her late husband Nick Cordero’s painful decline from COVID-19, has responded to Donald Trump’s Don’t let COVID dominate your life advice, calling the president’s words sad, hurtful and disgraceful.

Yesterday Trump, hospitalized over the weekend for COVID treatment, announced his departure from Walter Reed Medical Center with instantly divisive tweet, “Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years ago!”

The tone-deaf tweet drew scorn from many who lost loved ones to the coronavirus, including some Hollywood stars such as Zach Braff, a close friend of Cordero.

Kloots weighed in overnight, posting an Instagram message that reads:

To all the over 208,000 Americans who lost loved ones to this virus – I stand by you, with you, holding your hand. Unfortunately it did dominate our lives didn’t it? It dominated Nick’s family’s lives and my family’s lives. I guess we “let it” – like it was our choice?? Unfortunately not everyone is lucky enough to spend two days in the hospital. I cried next to my husband for 95 days watching what COVID did to the person I love. It IS something to be afraid of. After you see the person you love the most die from this disease you would never say what this tweet says. There is no empathy to all the lives lost. He is bragging instead. It is sad. It is hurtful. It is disgraceful.

In a video posted on her Instagram Story feed, a tearful Kloots expressed shock at Trump’s words.

“I’m sitting here in my house and I’m honestly frozen,” Kloots said. “I can’t really even move. I couldn’t believe what I read. I just have to say to all the over 208,000 families that lost a loved one to this disease, you know how terrifying it can be. Not everyone’s lucky enough to walk out of the hospital after two days.

“We saw what this disease can do, so guess what? We are afraid. We are. I still am. I think about if I got as sick as Nick, little Elvis doesn’t have his mom anymore, so I’m afraid. And let it ‘dominate’ your life? No one’s ‘letting it.’ Nick didn’t ‘let it.’ It wasn’t a choice, and it dominated his life, it dominated my life, it dominated our families’ lives for 95 days, and because he didn’t make it, it will forever affect my life.”

Kloots continued, “It’s beyond hurtful, and have some empathy! Why are you bragging? Have empathy to the Americans that you are our leader. Have some empathy to the people that are suffering and grieving. It’s just not fair.”

Cordero, who costarred on Broadway with Braff in 2014’s Bullets Over Broadway, died July 5 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after a 95-day battle with COVID-19. The actor’s battle with numerous setbacks and health crisis were chronicled by his wife, fitness trainer Kloots, in frequent Instagram updates followed by a global base of fans.

Earlier yesterday, Kloots posted a message describing COVID’s toll on survivors such as herself and her young son Elvis:

Nick passed away three months ago, but COVID took my husband April 1, which is seven months ago. I realized that the other day, Elvis and I lost him seven months ago. Once he went on the ventilator he never came back. It weird to think we’ve been on our own for that long already. Please wear a mask. Please continue to take this seriously.

View this post on Instagram

To all the over 208,000 Americans who lost loved ones to this virus – I stand by you, with you, holding your hand. Unfortunately it did dominate our lives didn’t it? It dominated Nick’s family’s lives and my family’s lives. I guess we “let it” – like it was our choice?? Unfortunately not everyone is lucky enough to spend two days in the hospital. I cried next to my husband for 95 days watching what COVID did to the person I love. It IS something to be afraid of. After you see the person you love the most die from this disease you would never say what this tweet says. There is no empathy to all the lives lost. He is bragging instead. It is sad. It is hurtful. It is disgraceful.

A post shared by AK! ⭐️ (@amandakloots) on Oct 5, 2020 at 9:07pm PDT

View this post on Instagram

I love you so much baby. It’s been three months today since you’ve passed. The 5ths will always be a bit tough for me. Not a day goes by that you aren’t thought about and missed. ⠀ Nick passed away three months ago, but COVID took my husband April 1, which is seven months ago. I realized that the other day, Elvis and I lost him seven months ago. Once he went on the ventilator he never came back. It weird to think we’ve been on our own for that long already. ⠀ Please wear a mask. Please continue to be take this seriously. ❤️

A post shared by AK! ⭐️ (@amandakloots) on Oct 5, 2020 at 7:35am PDT

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