President Donald Trump pulled a face mask out of his pocket in the White House briefing room on Tuesday, July 21, 2020. He did not put it on.
“Whether you like the mask or not, they have an impact,” he said. “I’m getting used to the mask.” The remark came after months in which Trump had treated mask-wearing as a political statement against him. He continued his recent encouragement of Americans to wear masks when social distancing is not possible.
Back at the podium
It was Trump’s first virus briefing in three months. He kept the stage to himself, without the public health experts who used to join him, and stayed close to scripted remarks prepared by aides. He warned that the coronavirus “will probably unfortunately get worse before it gets better,” while pointing to a reduction in deaths and progress on vaccines and treatments. The disease had by then claimed more than 140,000 American lives in five months.
He also told young people to stay out of crowded bars. And he acknowledged bipartisan criticism of slow processing of test results, saying “We’ll be able to get those numbers down” through better access to rapid, point-of-care tests like those used to protect him at the White House. He did not repeat a favorite talking point that widespread testing “created” more cases, which aides had noted was false.
The daily briefings had largely ended in late April, after Trump’s widely derided suggestion that injecting disinfectant could treat the virus. Aides had welcomed their end, believing they were dragging down his poll numbers, particularly with older voters. With his rallies mostly on hold, people in his circle felt he needed another way to reach voters, a little more than three months before Election Day.
Reaction
Dr. Anthony Fauci told NPR on Tuesday that he was glad Trump had begun to promote masks. Clear, consistent messages at the briefings, he said, would help people understand “the direction that we need to go to get this pandemic under control.”
Democrats were less generous. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer urged White House aides to “keep Trump away from the podium.” Joe Biden, the Democratic challenger, said Trump had “quit on you” and had “failed his most important test as an American President.”
For months, the nation’s top health experts had pleaded with Americans to wear masks in public and avoid crowds, calling those steps life-saving. Parts of the country were again facing rising infections and deaths, and some states were closing businesses once more. Many retailers were insisting that customers wear masks.
Trump also said vaccines were coming “a lot sooner than anybody thought possible.” The first possible U.S. vaccine was set to begin final-stage testing as early as the following week in a study of 30,000 people. Health authorities cautioned there was no guarantee it would work, since vaccines often fail at that stage.
Sources
- 'They have an impact': Trump urges Americans to wear masks during coronavirus briefing
- 'They have an impact': Trump urges Americans to wear masks during coronavirus briefing
