President Trump hedged on the efficacy of mask-wearing as a protective measure against the coronavirus and said he would leave his pandemic response largely unchanged, in an interview set to air on dozens of local television stations.
“Some people don’t like it scientifically,” Trump said of wearing a face mask to prevent the spread of coronavirus, a protective measure by his advisers and by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance.
Trump spoke in clips released by Sinclair Broadcast Group of its interview by correspondent Eric Bolling. The event, which was taped in the Rose Garden, also included questions from audience members.
Mask wearing has become a political flashpoint, with critics charging that Trump has failed to lead by example. Returning from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center this month, where he was hospitalized for treatment of the coronavirus, Trump ripped his mask off while standing on a White House balcony as staffers stood in the entry behind him.
And Trump, in an interview with Bolling this summer, said, in a potentially conflicting message, “Do what you’re supposed to do, and also do what makes you feel good.”
Asked by Bolling in the interview if he would do anything different in his response to COVID, Trump said, “not much.”
Not sure what all the fuss was about today with @60Minutes and @realDonaldTrump .. He seemed perfectly fine at my TownHall- taped just minutes after he finished with @cbs.
Judge for yourselves-> pic.twitter.com/GQoOUoPEHR
— ?? ERIC BOLLING ?? (@ericbolling) October 21, 2020
Dr. Anthony Fauci “has made mistakes,” Trump said of the nation’s top infectious disease expert, citing Fauci’s positions on mask-wearing, which the doctor discouraged early on, and his early move to limit travel from China, which he claims Fauci opposed. “With all of that, I get along with him. I like him,” Trump said.
Trump has lobbed several recent broadsides in Fauci’s direction this week, saying on a campaign call with staff that he is “a disaster.”
Prompted by Bolling to explain the moniker, Trump said, “Look, he’s made bad moves, but he’s been there a long time.”
Despite their differences, recently departed senior White House officials told the Washington Examiner last week that they believed Fauci would likely retain his post past Election Day. Removing Fauci, they said, could prompt “mass resignations” and risk Trump’s reelection prospects.
While Fauci’s influence within the White House has diminished, the doctor remains hugely popular, with Morning Consult and Politico reporting Wednesday that he is viewed by 63% of Americans as having done an excellent or good job responding to the coronavirus, while 38% said the same of Trump. This latest survey queried 1,994 registered voters between Oct. 16-18 and has a plus or minus 2 percentage point margin of error.
The hour-long broadcast will air on Sinclair networks Wednesday at 7 p.m.
