Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller accused Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden of wearing masks as a political “prop.”
Following President Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis, the Trump campaign official appeared with ABC host George Stephanopoulos to defend the campaign’s handling of rallies and campaign events amid the pandemic.
“Hasn’t the cavalier approach to masks and social distancing at these rallies been a mistake? Will it change going forward?” Stephanopoulos asked.
“I’ll push back and say that it hasn’t been cavalier at all. We take it very seriously. It’s why we give everyone coming to rallies or to events, we give them a mask. We check their temperature. You know, I’d say that with regard to Joe Biden, I think too often he’s used the mask as a prop,” Miller said. “A mask is very important, but he could be 20-30 feet away from the nearest person and still have the mask on. That’s not gonna change anything that’s out there.”
In reaction, Biden campaign deputy campaign manager and communications director Kate Bedingfield said, “I think that tells you a lot of what you need to know about how the Trump campaign has treated this from the outset.”
“It’s a choice between two different styles of leadership. And since the virus came to our shores back in the spring, Joe Biden has led by example,” she added.
Trump departed the White House Friday for Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for treatment after testing positive for COVID-19. Since then, the president’s campaign has pushed forward with virtual campaign events under the theme “Operation MAGA.”
