President Trump and first lady Melania Trump are sending mixed messages on whether it’s important for the general public to wear masks during the coronavirus pandemic.
Over the past few days, the president’s wife has urged people to wear a cloth mask when in public, tweeting an advisory from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“I ask that everyone take social distancing & wearing a mask/face covering seriously,” she tweeted Friday and Sunday.
I ask that everyone take social distancing & wearing a mask/face covering seriously. #COVID19 is a virus that can spread to anyone. https://t.co/TjzlBhYQsB
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) April 5, 2020
Her Friday tweet was posted minutes after her husband announced the new recommendation to wear nonmedical, cloth face coverings, reversing his administration’s previous guidance that they were unnecessary for people who were not sick.
“I don’t think I’m going to be doing it,” Trump said, explaining that he thought he would look foolish wearing a face mask when communicating with world leaders.
“Somehow, sitting in the Oval Office, sitting behind that beautiful Resolute Desk, the great Resolute Desk, I think wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens, I don’t know, I just don’t see it for myself,” he said.
Trump acknowledged Sunday that his wife would wear a face mask, while noting the guidance was voluntary.
“She feels that way,” Trump told reporters. “I would wear one. Would you like me to wear one right now? That would be a little awkward, I guess, but again, I would wear one if I thought it was important. She likes the idea of wearing it, she does. A lot of people do. Again, it’s a recommendation, and I understand that recommendation and I’m OK with it.”
It’s unclear if the first lady has been wearing a mask at the White House. Her office did not respond to a request for comment.
