Dr. Chris T. Pernell, once a candidate for office as an advocate for school children in Newark, who works as a physician at University Hospital in Newark, condemned coronavirus positive President Donald Trump’s parade outside Walter Reed.

“It was like spitting on my father’s grave,” said the medical doctor from Montclair, who lost her father to COVID-19, and whose family is still fighting the virus.

“It was like a punch in the gut to my sister, who is still struggling to recover,” Pernell said. “It was just disrespectful to the 210,000 plus brave patriotic Americans who lost their lives because of recklessness coming out of the White House.”

Pernell made her statements to CNN.

Trump announced Friday morning that he had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, and spent the weekend receiving treatement at Walter Reed. Yesterday, he masked up with Secret Service agents and drove around outside the hospital to wave to supporters.

Pernell was offended.

“We have a leader who has failed to lead and asked us to [engage in] political theater,” said the medical doctor. “It’s really unfortunate that those around him are impervious to those lies, who are able to stand up and say enough is enough.”

Among those who received a positive COVID-19 test was former Governor Chris Christie, subsequently hospitalized with the virus. NJ.com’s Tom Moran reported today that Christie was “feisty” in a phone conversation he had with Moran from his hospital bed in Morris County.

In the face of the president’s actions, Pernell urged her fellow physicians and healthcare workers to exert pressure to get Trump “to come full circule and learn to emphathize” with people.

Pernell ran for a seat on the Newark School Advisory Board in 2011 as a member of the For Our Kids ticket backed by North Ward Democratic leader Steve Adubato, Sr.