Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain has died from coronavirus, according to a post on his website. The businessman and right-wing media personality was 74 years old.
“Herman Cain – our boss, our friend, like a father to so many of us – has passed away,” Dan Calabrese, the editor for Cain’s website, wrote in a post on Thursday morning.
Cain was hospitalized with COVID-19 on June 29. Calabrese wrote that Cain knew “that this was going to be a rough fight” when he was first hospitalized, particularly since he had already survived a cancer diagnosis and was in a vulnerable demographic because of his age and health.
You're never ready for the kind of news we are grappling with this morning. But we have no choice but to seek and find God's strength and comfort to deal… #HermanCain [1] https://t.co/BtOgoLVqKz [2]
— Herman Cain (@THEHermanCain) July 30, 2020 [3]
“We all prayed that the initial meds they gave him would get his breathing back to normal, but it became clear pretty quickly that he was in for a battle,” Calabrese wrote, adding that “we also felt real concern about the fact that he never quite seemed to get to the point where the doctors could advance him to the recovery phase.”
This afternoon Donald Trump finally tweeted about the passing of Cain, but oddly left the COVID-19 part out:
My friend Herman Cain, a Powerful Voice of Freedom and all that is good, passed away this morning. Herman had an incredible career and was adored by everyone that ever met him, especially me. He was a very special man, an American Patriot, and great friend. I just got off…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 30, 2020 [4]
…the phone with his amazing wife Gloria, daughter, Melanie, and son Vincent to express my deepest condolences to the entire family. @FLOTUS [5] Melania and I loved Herman Cain, a great man. Herman, Rest In Peace! pic.twitter.com/GNUf5jHjX0 [6]
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 30, 2020 [7]
Cain attended Trump’s rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 20. Cain posted a photo of himself and other rally attendees, none of whom were wearing masks. Although masks were provided to attendees at the rally, wearing them was not mandatory.
Here’s just a few of the #BlackVoicesForTrump [8] at tonight’s rally! Having a fantastic time!#TulsaRally2020 [9] #Trumptulsa [10] #TulsaTrumprally [11] #MAGA [12] #Trump2020 [13] #Trump2020Landslide [14] pic.twitter.com/27mUzkg7kL [15]
— Herman Cain (@THEHermanCain) June 20, 2020 [16]
Trump campaign officials said that Cain sat with members of the president’s “Black Voices for Trump” advisory board, as seen in the photo he posted to Twitter, but he did not come into direct contact with Trump. The statement posted to Cain’s Twitter account upon his hospitalization said that “there is no way of knowing for sure how or where Cain contracted the coronavirus.” Calabrese also wrote in a column in early July that Cain had also traveled to Arizona, which is dealing with a serious outbreak, in the days after the rally.
People on Twitter were rather shocked by Trump’s response:
You killed him. https://t.co/XH5JX1DOHj [17] pic.twitter.com/nL8SnoXWN9 [18]
— Bad Fox Graphics (@BadFoxGraphics) July 30, 2020 [19]
I mean, you basically killed him. Ultimate expression of how Trump expects loyalty but gives none. https://t.co/JqrZGH4pbS [20]
— Amanda Marcotte (@AmandaMarcotte) July 30, 2020 [21]
His death is on your hands. All because of your ego rally. So many people have died needlessly, because of you.
Shame on you. https://t.co/1vqSDW1cty [22]
— Eric Slater (@ericsslater) July 30, 2020 [23]
Note he doesn't mention the cause of death https://t.co/HHcXlP5phj [24]
— Mangy Jay (@magi_jay) July 30, 2020 [25]
Reminder that the party of "personal responsibility" is insisting on a liability shield for businesses (and perhaps those who hold massive public events?) as part of their Covid relief bill. Meaning: They're protected from lawsuits, no matter how negligent they are. https://t.co/qNnLhIdH6w [26]
— Jill Filipovic (@JillFilipovic) July 30, 2020 [27]
You told him he would be safe without on mask.
Shame on you. https://t.co/0F9HIJUhOR [28] pic.twitter.com/Ok3a0dxBvF [29]
— IllinoisNewDemocratRicoP (@reesetheone1) July 30, 2020 [30]
You have murdered Cain and thousands of others with your dishonesty and incompetence. https://t.co/w0Tc0A4oyK [31]
— Richard Signorelli (@richsignorelli) July 30, 2020 [32]
Trump to staff: Hey, someone write a tweet about that dude I killed https://t.co/OeYr4D30Te [33]
— Todd Poirier (@todd_poirier) July 30, 2020 [34]
He's legit doing this because he's jealous of Obama's eulogy. https://t.co/F7xR2OJHoc [35]
— Laura Bassett (@LEBassett) July 30, 2020 [36]
Did you learn anything from this spiritually challenging moment? Is it prompting any introspection or moral awakening about what his cause of death might suggest about your life approach going forward? https://t.co/FkfA3s6GbZ [37]
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) July 30, 2020 [38]