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POLITICO

This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Max Cohen on politico.com on July 1, 2020.
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would have no problem wearing a mask in public, despite avoiding being pictured with a face covering amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’m all for masks. I think masks are good,” Trump said in an interview with Fox Business on Wednesday afternoon.
The president said he usually does not wear a mask in public appearances because he is far enough apart from others, adding that people are tested for Covid-19 before they see him.

President Trump said he didn't want the press (i.e. the American people) to see him wearing a mask during Thursday's tour of a Ford plant in Michigan. But he wore one earlier, away from the pool - and someone who doesn't wish to be identified took this shot pic.twitter.com/6Pxj68lu35
— West Wing Reports (@WestWingReport) May 22, 2020

Trump also said he was open to appearing in public with a face covering.
“Actually, I had a mask on and I sort of liked the way I looked,” Trump said.
The president’s comments represent a significant departure from his earlier sentiments on masks. At a news conference in late May, Trump blasted a Reuters journalist, Jeff Mason, for wearing a facial covering and accused the reporter of wanting to be “politically correct”.
Recently, Republican leaders have joined Democrats in urging all Americans to wear masks whenever possible to stop the spread of coronavirus. Recommendations from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention state that individuals should wear cloth face coverings when in public, as masks can stop people who have coronavirus from passing it on to others.
Trump says he finally wore a mask and ‘it looked very nice’
While Vice-President Mike Pence is often seen in public wearing a mask, Trump has yet to wear a mask in public. A photo of Trump wearing a mask during a private tour at a Ford plant in Michigan is the only evidence of the president covering his face during the pandemic.
Reacting to the president’s comments on Fox News, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell greeted Trump’s change in tone as helpful.
“We’ve all been told, the single easiest thing we can do is we reopen the economy, with the coronavirus still very much out there, is to protect ourselves and others by wearing a mask,” McConnell said, adding that the Senate has been abiding by mask-wearing guidelines in its return to work.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/01/trump-shifts-messaging-on-masks-expressing-openness-to-wearing-a-face-covering-in-public-347158


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Change comes after Republican leaders break with president and urge Americans to cover their faces during pandemic
Trump has avoided being photographed in a mask and has chided reporters for using them



Change comes after Republican leaders break with president and urge Americans to cover their faces during pandemic.
