'We are not partisan combatants': George W Bush posts emotional coronavirus video calling for unity

Video, featuring images of Americans' social distancing, frontline workers and emotional scenes of 9/11 fallout, has had more than 4m views

Former President George W. Bush called for unity in an emotional video this weekend, urging Americans to remember that "we are not partisan combatants".

The video was posted on the official Twitter account of the George W. Bush Presidential Center​ and tagged @TheCallToUnite, a livestream where celebrities and public figures have been posting video messages during the pandemic.

There have been more than 65,000 deaths in the US from the coronavirus.

The video featured a voiceover from Bush set against an array of images of Americans social distancing, frontline workers and also included emotional scenes of Bush during his presidency, comforting people following 9/11.

He said: “We are not partisan combatants. We’re human beings, equally vulnerable and equally wonderful in the sight of God.”

It continued: "We cannot allow physical separation to become emotional isolation.

President George W. Bush consoles families of victims of the 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001, during a visit to New York City (US National Archives)

“This requires us to not only be compassionate but creative in our outreach. Let us remember that empathy and simple kindness are essential, powerful tools of national recovery.”

The video highlighted that impacts of the coronavirus “does not fall evenly" and the importance of caring for the elderly, the ill and the unemployed.

The video had more than 4m views as of Sunday morning.