If I can help little Charlie Gard... I will, vows Trump
DONALD Trump risked a diplomatic row yesterday by declaring America’s support for saving Charlie Gard.
He joined the Pope in vowing to help the desperately ill baby boy as British doctors prepare to withdraw his life-support.
Charlie’s parents have raised £1.3million from the public to fund experimental treatment in the United States.
But Washington sources said yesterday that the American hospital and doctor had agreed to waive their fees.
Last night, Charlie’s parents Connie Yates, 31, and Chris Gard, 32, said the support of the Pope and the US President had left them ‘overwhelmed with emotion’.
They are spending the final days of their son’s life with him, after being given extra time to say their goodbyes.
The White House said President Trump was ‘trying to be helpful’, but his intervention in a tweet yesterday afternoon is a challenge to British and European judges who have ruled that Charlie – who was born 11 months ago today – must be allowed to die.
His parents’ desire to take him to the US has have been blocked by the High Court, Appeal Court, Supreme Court and European Court of Human Rights, which backed Great Ormond Street doctors who say he has no hope and should be allowed to die.
Charlie is thought to be one of only 16 children in the world with mitochondrial depletion syndrome, which causes progressive muscle weakness and brain damage.
He has irreversible brain damage, his lungs cannot function without a ventilator, and he cannot see, hear, move, cry or swallow. Yester-
‘This is a very delicate case’
day President Trump ordered White House officials to make contact with Charlie’s family, and tweeted: ‘If we can help little #CharlieGard, as per our friends in the UK and the Pope, we would be delighted to do so.’
But his intervention was met with exasperation in some quarters of Whitehall, with No10 calling it ‘a delicate case’.
The Ministry of Justice said court rulings against Charlie’s parents ‘ were made by an independent judiciary’ and there was no basis to challenge them. Prime Minister Theresa May’s spokesman said: ‘This is a very delicate case and it would be inappropriate to discuss it further at this stage. Our thoughts are with Charlie and his family.’
President Trump’s tweet, which was ‘liked’ 40,000 times within two hours, came after Pope Francis offered his own backing.
The Vatican said the Pope ‘is following with affection and sadness the case of little Charlie Gard and expresses his closeness to his parents. For this he prays that their wish to accompany and treat their child until the end is not neglected’. Last night a White House spokesman said: ‘ Upon learning of baby Charlie Gard’s situation, President Trump has offered to help the family in this heart-breaking situation.
‘Although the President himself has not spoken to the family – he does not want to pressure them in any way – members of the administration have spoken to the fam- ily in calls facilitated by the British government.
‘ The President is just trying to be helpful if at all possible.’ A spokesman for Charlie’s parents, of Bedfont, west London, said: ‘ Chris and Connie are overwhelmed with emotion that President Trump and the Pope have spoken publicly of their support.
‘Their kind words have given them so much comfort. They remain at Charlie’s bedside and his condition remains stable.’ They released a new photograph of the family together as supporters around the world calling themselves Charlie’s Army demanded another chance for their son.