Joe Biden hit back at President Trump for mocking him for wearing a mask by questioning the White House incumbent’s masculinity.
“This macho stuff for a guy, I shouldn’t get going, but it’s cost people’s lives,” Biden told CNN Tuesday. “Presidents are supposed to lead, not engage in folly and be falsely masculine.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a mask or face covering in public amid the coronavirus pandemic except in limited situations, including if the person is a child under the age of 2. The guideline applies even if the person isn’t showing any COVID-19 symptoms.
Yet, both Trump and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Tuesday jumped on a viral image of the presumptive 2020 Democratic presidential nominee wearing a black mask and aviators during a Memorial Day appearance, the first time he’s left his house in Delaware since March when his state governor issued a stay-at-home order.
Trump followed up a Monday night retweet of the photo by describing the two-term vice president’s decision to don a mask, which hung low on one of his ears, as “unusual.”
“Biden can wear a mask, but he was standing outside with his wife, perfect conditions, perfect weather,” Trump said during a Rose Garden press conference.
On Tuesday, Biden called the president “an absolute fool” for undermining his own public health officials as the virus-related death toll in the United States inches toward 100,000.
“It’s stoking deaths. It’s not gonna to increase the likelihood that people are going to be better off,” he said. “It reminds me of the guys that I grew up with playing ball. They would walk around with a ball in their hand, but they didn’t like to hit very much.”
Biden has featured his mask in some of his TV interviews as he tries to draw a contrast with Trump while off the campaign trail. He’s also updated his social media profile pictures to be of the viral image shared by the man he’s hoping to replace in the Oval Office after November’s general election.
