Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti condemned President Trump for not wearing a face mask in public as many states and cities make masks mandatory.
Trump has yet to wear a face mask in front of reporters and opted not to wear one during a press gaggle while in Michigan, where Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has made them mandatory. Prior to Trump’s first public appearance on Thursday, Garcetti jabbed Trump for not wearing masks during an interview on MSNBC.
“Simply put, he’s our commander in chief. I say real men wear face masks when they’re going to be with other people in public,” Garcetti said. “It’s our gateway to increasing freedom and more economic activity and the greater opening up.”
“I think modeling that is something so important for all of our leaders, and any men who don’t want to wear face masks, we’ve got to get over ourselves, and just do it,” Garcetti added.
Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat, echoed Garcetti’s sentiments. He highlighted Trump’s influence by noting the increase in demand for hydroxychloroquine following the president’s public support for the anti-malaria drug as a potential treatment for COVID-19.
“Our president is a role model for many in our country. As we heard on your last segment, when he started talking about hydroxychloroquine as a possible preventive, the numbers of folks trying to get on this medication, taking this medication, went up dramatically,” Coons said.
“When President Trump refuses to take simple steps to follow science, to follow our public health leaders like Dr. Fauci and the recommendations that we’ve heard from organizations and entities around the country that are responsible for leadership on this, he is not just setting a bad example but, in some ways, actively misleading the American people in a way that has prolonged this tragedy,” Coons later added.
Trump and those around him are routinely tested for the coronavirus. The president announced on Monday that he was taking hydroxychloroquine to prevent a COVID-19 infection after members of his staff tested positive. Hydroxychloroquine has not been approved as a treatment for COVID-19.
When Vice President Mike Pence was similarly criticized for not wearing a mask during a visit to Minnesota, the White House defended his decision by noting that staffers are all routinely tested and that the vice president knew he was COVID-negative and would not spread the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has acknowledged that cloth face coverings prevent asymptomatic people from spreading the disease but are not perfectly effective at stopping people from contracting the virus. Pence later conceded that he should have worn a mask.
