Fiona Prine Calls Watching Donald Trump Deal With COVID-19 Diagnosis ‘Traumatic,’ ‘Excruciating’

Since her husband, folk legend John Prine, died of COVID-19 in April, Fiona Prine has been a vocal opponent of Donald Trump's handling of the pandemic in the United States. The president's Friday (Oct. 2) hospitalization after contracting the virus and his behavior while under doctors' care, Prine says on social media, has been "traumatic" and "excruciating" to watch.

After both he and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for COVID-19 late Thursday night (Oct. 1), Donald Trump was airlifted from the White House to Walter Reed Medical Center on Friday afternoon, where he has been receiving a series of treatments for the virus, including the antiviral drug remdesivir and the steroid dexamethasone, according to Reuters.

"Last 48 hours has been traumatic for those of us who are all too familiar with the day by day play book of our loved ones journey through Covid-19 symptoms [sic]," Fiona Prine wrote on Saturday (Oct. 3). "I miss you @JohnPrineMusic as much as the families of the other hundreds of thousands miss their beloved family members."

After some supporters gathered outside Walter Reed Medical Center, Trump briefly left the hospital on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 5) to wave to the crowd from a black Chevy Suburban, accompanied by two Secret Service agents in full personal protective gear. It was a move that drew ire from some, with CNN reporting that agents are now speaking out about what they feel is "total disregard for their well-being amid a deadly and highly contagious pandemic."

"I wish I could just have visited with @JohnPrineMusic in the hospital while he was still awake — we would not have needed a joy ride," Fiona Prine tweeted in response to the news on Sunday. "This BS is excruciating to witness and so disrespectful ..."

The Trumps' COVID-19 diagnoses came following the diagnosis of senior aide Hope Hicks on Thursday. In the days since, at least a dozen others in the president's inner circle have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, per CNN. Officials believe the virus spread among the group at a Sept. 26 event at the White House's rose garden, during which Amy Coney Barrett was announced as a nominee to the Supreme Court, to fill the seat left vacant by late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.