George W. Bush urges Americans to unite and fight coronavirus together: 'We are not partisan combatants'

Former President George W. Bush called for Americans to unite to fight a "remorseless, invisible enemy that threatens the elderly and vulnerable among us" in a heartwarming video that was released on Saturday.

As tens of thousands of innocent people have died and tens of millions have lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic, there has been partisan bickering as well as finger-pointing from state and federal government. Former President Bush urged Americans to come together to defeat COVID-19.

"We serve our neighbor by separating from them," Bush said. "We cannot allow physical separation to become emotional isolation. This requires us to not only be compassionate but creative in our outreach."

"Let's remember that the suffering we experience as a nation does not fall evenly. In the days to come, it will be especially important to care in practical ways for the elderly, the ill, and the unemployed," Bush said, referring to how coronavirus is much more dangerous for people over 65 and those with preexisting conditions.

The 43rd President of the United States also mentioned the more than 30 million people who filed for unemployment in the last six weeks, most of which filed because the economy has been shut down by the coronavirus pandemic.

"In this time of testing, we need to remember a few things: First, let us remember we have faced times of testing before," Bush said. "Following 9/11, I saw a great nation rise as one to honor the brave, grieve with the grieving, and to embrace unavoidable new duties."

"Secondly, let us remember that empathy and simple kindness are essential, powerful tools of national recovery. Even at an appropriate social distance, we can find the way to be present in the lives of others," Bush said in the three-minute video.

"Let us remember how small our differences are in the face of this sheer threat," Bush said. "In the final analysis, we are not partisan combatants. We're human beings, equally vulnerable and equally wonderful in the sight of God."

"We rise or fall together, and we are determined to rise," Bush said. "God bless you all."