Tony Green, a Texas conservative, wrote an op-ed this week admitting to his mistakes after he and his family contracted the coronavirus.
Green, who called the coronavirus a “scamdemic,” admitted to being a Trump cultist and a COVID-19 truther until things took a turn for the worse.
“I admit I voted for Donald Trump in 2016,” Green wrote in DallasVoice. “I admit traveling deep into the conspiracy trap over COVID-19. All the defiant behavior of Trump’s more radical and rowdy cult followers, I participated in it. I was a hard-ass that stood up for my ‘God-given rights.’”
He confessed to going down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories.
“I believed the virus to be a hoax. I believed the mainstream media and the Democrats were using it to create panic, crash the economy and destroy Trump’s chances at re-election,” he said. “And so, believing the pandemic to be a hoax, my partner and I hosted family members on Saturday, June 13. On Sunday, June 14, I woke up sick.”
“Imagine gasping for air with every step you take,” Green described. “Imagine rubbing Icy Hot all over your head to soothe a painful headache. Imagine your eyes in a bowl of water while you’re still seeing through them. Imagine collapsing and waking up in the ER only to find out COVID-19 attacked your central nervous system, and the doctor had just saved you from a stroke.”
But things got even worse for Green and his family.
According to his op-ed, his partner and his parents all got sick as well.
His in-laws went to see their first grandchild, taking his father-in-law’s mother. His father-in-law was ill by that evening. His mother-in-law and her daughter were next.
“Two days later, my father-in-law’s mother got sick. The new mommy and daddy got sick, too. We all tested positive for COVID-19. Only the newborn was spared,” Green said. “My father-in-law and I both went to the hospital on June 24. The virus had attacked my central nervous system, and the staff stopped me from having a stroke.”
Just a day later, Green’s grandmother-in-law was hospitalized with the virus. She died on July 1 after succumbing to the virus and pneumonia. The family told Green’s father-in-law about losing his mother as she lay in a hospital bed alone, even though he was in the room next door.
“On the day of her funeral, which was July 14, five more of our family members tested positive for the virus,” said Green. “That evening, my father-in-law was put on a ventilator.”
“You cannot imagine the guilt I feel,” Green went on, noting that his conspiracy theories and his gathering brought about so much suffering. “You cannot imagine my guilt at having been a denier, carelessly shuffling through this pandemic, making fun of those wearing masks and social distancing. You cannot imagine my guilt at knowing that my actions convinced both our families it was safe when it wasn’t.”
The virus is real, he said. “I am aware of how my bias could discredit me with some, but trust me, you do not want this virus. And you do not want your loved ones suffering and dying from this because you are taking a ‘political stand’ or protecting the economy over their lives.”
You can read the full op-ed HERE.
