A physical therapist has come under fire after suggesting online that he was disappointed that Donald Trump’s shooter missed.
Stuart Eivers, who works in the Seattle area, wrote on X just hours after the attack: “I feel bad for having failed.”
The message was uploaded to a post that included a CNN article revealing that the former president had been hastily removed from the stage during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
Eivers quickly faced backlash for his comments, with some calling for him to be fired.
His employer, MTI Physical Therapy in Washington, says it is “handling the situation with this employee internally.” It adds that Eivers “deeply regrets” posting his reaction online, which is “incompatible with his deeply held values of nonviolence.”
Eivers’ post was first shared on the popular TikTok account X Libs.
The physical therapist shared the above comment in the hours following the shooting.
Stuart Eivers is pictured above holding his Covid vaccination card.
This comes amid a wave of investigations and suspensions in the United States after health care workers, university staff and others were caught mocking Trump’s shooting.
A nurse at a major New York City hospital and a pharmacy worker in Texas have lost their jobs after posting online that they were disappointed the assassination attempt failed.
Responding to Eivers’ comment, one person said: “How would a patient be treated differently if they walked in with a hat or t-shirt supporting a guy they’d like to wish death on? This is absolutely important.”
A second said: “Unprofessional and disgraceful. Seattle deserves better than Stuart Eivers.”
While two others said: “His employers should fire him immediately” and “When will they learn… this brother just lost his job with just one position?”
After the posts were revealed, Eivers deleted her tweet and her X account.
According to LinkedIn, he has worked as a physical therapist in the Seattle area of Washington state for nearly two and a half decades.
MTI Physical Therapy posted the above statement on Facebook
In response to his comments, his employer said: “MTI shares our nation’s outrage over the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. As a healthcare organization, we do not tolerate or support violence of any kind.”
‘An employee posted a comment on his personal social media account that does not reflect the views of our company.
‘This employee has acknowledged that his post was inappropriate and inconsistent with his deeply held values of nonviolence.
‘He deeply regrets posting this reckless and emotional reaction and apologizes for his actions; he is aware that his apologies do not make up for having exacerbated an already terrible situation. To be clear, he does not wish any harm to the former president or anyone else.’
They added: ‘MTI is immediately handling the situation with this employee internally and appreciates their patience and understanding.’
The American Physical Therapy Association, which sets standards for the profession, says physical therapists must remain impartial.
In its code of ethics it says: ‘Physiotherapists should act in a respectful manner towards each person regardless of age, gender, race, nationality, religion, ethnicity, social or economic status, sexual orientation, health status or disability.
‘Physical therapists should recognize their personal biases and should not discriminate against others in the practice, consultation, education, research and administration of physical therapy.’