| USA TODAY
Two-time Olympian Kara Goucher on Tuesday told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that she “felt really disrespected” by President Donald Trump when he tweeted, “Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life,” Monday as he left the hospital after being treated for COVID-19.
Goucher’s grandfather, Calvin Haworth, 95, was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Sept. 24, and she told Cooper Tuesday that her grandpa was “losing his battle with coronavirus.” By that evening, Goucher shared the news that her grandfather had died.
“Tonight, surrounded by my sister, mother, myself, and with my other sister on the phone, my grandfather passed away in peace,” she wrote on Twitter.
Trump announced on Twitter last Friday that he and First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive for COVID-19. After being admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday, Trump was released on Monday and tweeted that he was “feeling really good!”
The 42-year-old Goucher was angered by Trump’s remarks and responded to them Monday on Twitter.
“As my grandfather lies in a bed struggling to take his last breaths due to COVID, I’m not sure I’ve ever read anything more offensive or tone deaf in my life,” Goucher wrote.
Goucher told Cooper that she felt disrespected by Trump’s “tone-deaf” comments.
“I felt like my grandfather was disrespected. I felt like all of the people who had been suffering through this were disrespected,” she said.
Goucher, a distance runner, competed for Team USA at the 2008 Beijing Summer Games, finishing ninth and 10th overall in the 5,000 and 10,000-meter races. At the 2012 London Games, she competed in the marathon, finishing 11th overall.
She told Cooper that her grandfather had helped raise her and her sisters after their father was killed by a drunk driver when she was 4 years old. She said her grandpa introduced her to distance running.
“He was always there and he really was supportive,” Goucher said. “I mean, he really made me believe in myself. And he did that for my sisters as well.”
Follow Edith Noriega on Twitter @Noriega_Edith.
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