“I think it’s a great thing to wear a mask.”
US President Donald Trump wore a face mask in public for the first time on Saturday as the president visited a medical facility outside Washington.
Trump was meeting with wounded soldiers and front-line health-care workers when he appeared in the mask, despite previously appearing reluctant to promote their use.
The US President wore a dark-coloured mask covering as he began his hospital visit on Saturday, walking with an entourage who were wearing similar masks.
President Trump on Saturday wore a mask in public for the first time, after months of resistance. He wore the mask after repeated urging from aides that it was a necessary message to send to Americans. https://t.co/WiMiBuggLo pic.twitter.com/aNcYyirWR8
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 12, 2020
The decision to wear a mask comes as coronavirus cases surged to record levels in the US and on the back of Trump’s aides urging him to follow his own government’s guidelines on face coverings.
“I think it’s a great thing to wear a mask. I’ve never been against masks but I do believe they have a time and a place,” Trump said as he left the White House.
Trump had said previously that he would not ask Americans to wear a mask and said it was a personal choice, but had said that he would wear a mask if he could not socially distance himself from others in a crowd.
While it’s the first time he’s worn a mask publicly, Trump was pictured wearing a mask on one other occasion, when a picture emerged from behind the scenes at his tour of a Ford plant in May.
President Trump wears a mask during his tour of the Ford Rawsonville Components Plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan, where ventilators, masks and other medical supplies are being manufactured. https://t.co/UCqBVUEuBZ
📷 Anonymous pic.twitter.com/eiIFVNPVIh
— NBC News (@NBCNews) May 22, 2020
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