Transparency and empathy are perceived as the essence of building public trust that lead to effective measures in combating COVID-19. As transparency has been discussed broadly, discussion about empathy in the political arena is rather silent. Empathy is just one of emotions expressed during our response to the unprecedented pandemic. Fear of death, distrust of the government, worry of public chaos, anxious of unemployment and economic crisis are other emotions generated by COVID-19. The words take courage, do not panic, and be kind are several speeches delivered by world leaders to build trust and overcome fear.