Trump wears mask in public for first time during visit to military hospital

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• President Donald Trump wore a mask in public for the first time on Saturday at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington to visit wounded servicemembers.
• He told reporters while leaving the White House that he knows “it’s expected to wear a mask… when you’re in a hospital.”
• The president was wearing a mask in the hospital’s hallway but was not wearing one when he stepped off the helicopter at the facility.

President Donald Trump on Saturday wore a mask while visiting a military hospital in suburban Washington. It was the first time Trump has been seen in public with a mask on even after health officials recommend it as a precaution against spreading or becoming infected by the novel coronavirus.

Trump visited wounded servicemembers and health care providers treating COVID-19 patients at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

“When you’re in a hospital, especially … I think it’s expected to wear a mask,” he told reporters at the White House.

The president was wearing a mask in the hospital’s hallway as he began his visit but was not seen wearing one as he stepped off the helicopter at the facility.

In the U.S., the coronavirus has infected more than 3.2 million and killed at least 134,000. Some Republicans, including Vice President Mike Pence, started wearing masks in public as the coronavirus gained ground this summer.

However, the president has refused to wear a mask during news conferences, coronavirus task force briefings, campaign rallies and other public events. According to The Associated Press, sources close to the president said that Trump is concerned a mask would make him look weak and that it would shift focus to the coronavirus health crisis rather than the economic recovery.

The president has sent mixed signals about face masks — for not wearing one and for acknowledging that they would be provide protection if worn in an indoor setting where people were close together. He once accused reporters of wearing masks to be politically correct. He also has retweeted messages poking fun at rival Joe Biden for wearing a mask and implying that the Democrat looks weak.

The only time Trump has been known to wear a mask was during a private part of a tour of a Ford plant in Michigan, the Hill reported.

Source: AOL