Trump wears coronavirus mask publicly for first time during visit to Walter Reed military hospital

“I think when you’re in a hospital, especially in that particular setting where you’re talking to a lot of soldiers and people that in some cases just got off the operating table, I think it’s a great thing to wear a mask,” Trump said. “I’ve never been against masks but I do believe they have a time and a place.”

Trump has resisted wearing a mask in the past. During a May visit to a Ford plant in Michigan, the president was seen on the factory floor without a mask despite state law and company policy requiring a face covering. Ford issued a statement saying Trump wore a mask during a private meeting at the plant but later took it off. 

Democrats and Republicans, from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, have tried to prod the administration to demonstrate the importance of wearing masks. 

The Trump administration has resisted calls for the federal government to require Americans to wear masks during the pandemic. Vice President Mike Pence told CNBC he doesn’t believe there’s a need for a national mandate, despite the surge of coronavirus cases across the American South and West. Pence said in some parts of the country people can maintain a safe social distance. 

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/11/trump-wears-coronavirus-mask-during-public-visit-to-walter-reed-military-hospital.html