Donald Trump has spent months refusing to wear a mask in public. There was one trip to Michigan where he apparently briefly wore a mask before he was on camera, and then once he was around the cameras, the mask disappeared. But everywhere else, from the White House to his stupid Nazi rallies, Trump has been maskless. It’s become such a stupid political thing now, that Republicans are going to “own the libs” by making fun of masks and making fun of anyone concerned about the coronavirus. But as the virus is currently ripping through the South and Southwest – arguably Republican strongholds – the language around masks changed. Suddenly, some Republicans were like “eh, maybe some people should wear masks.” And those Republicans apparently convinced Donald Trump to do this as Walter Reed – wear a mask for one event. It took a lot of behind-the-scenes pleading:
As coronavirus cases surged in the Sun Belt in recent weeks, one Republican leader after another has come forward to publicly endorse face masks — and model the practice themselves — in an attempt to depoliticize their use as a public health precaution. On Saturday, the man who has stood in the way of those efforts is finally expected to join them.
President Donald Trump — who has stubbornly refused to wear a mask in public, ridiculed those who have and done little to encourage his supporters to embrace the common sense public health measure — has said he will wear a mask during a visit to Walter Reed National Medical Center on Saturday. He is also expected to be photographed wearing it, a photo opportunity that some of the President’s aides practically begged him to agree to and hope will encourage skeptical Trump supporters to do the same.
“I’m going to Walter Reed to see some of our great soldiers who have been injured. Badly injured. And also see some of our Covid workers, people who have such a great job,” Trump said. “And I expect to be wearing a mask when I go into Walter Reed. You’re in a hospital so I think it’s a very appropriate thing.”
Trump’s decision to model a mask in public view and tout it during a Fox News interview Thursday night came after a quiet lobbying campaign by some White House aides and political advisers, aides familiar with the discussions said — some of whom were spooked by the sight of so many maskless Trump supporters at a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last month and concerned by the surge of coronavirus cases in the South. One presidential adviser described the effort as more than a week of “lots of negotiation” and repeated “pleading” by aides who urged the President to set an example for his supporters by wearing a mask on the visit.
Trump and his people still say that there will be no federal mask mandate and that Trump still sees it as a personal choice some (weak) people are making merely because they want to “feel safe.” Trump honestly doesn’t see masks as a medical necessity at all, he only sees them as a political tool or political stunt. He’s said before that he thinks people are wearing masks and getting coronavirus tests just to make him look bad. You know what looks bad? Being a sucky baby and needing to be cajoled and bribed into wearing a mask like you’re a f–king toddler.
As for these photos… I’ll include some of the tweets from Republican operatives who are acting like Trump’s mask-wearing (once, months into a pandemic) is the thing which will win him the election. Meanwhile, when Biden wore a mask in public for the first time months ago, Trump and other Republicans were making fun of how “unmanly” he was. I mean…
truly incredible. pic.twitter.com/zyNoimdvTl
— Jesse Lehrich (@JesseLehrich) July 11, 2020
Of course at some point during the photo op, Trump pulled his mask down so his nose was out. This is not how to wear a mask. Your mouth AND your nose should be covered, dumbass.
You have got to be kidding me. pic.twitter.com/KXo8vfkm4Y
— Chris D. Jackson (@ChrisDJackson) July 12, 2020
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
He’s a lumbering beast, isn’t he? He’s Taft size.
Lump of lard with legs.
That was my first thought too. But he golfs for “exercise.”
Did you see video of him driving a golf cart with his caddie on the back??
omg, the republican reaction on twitter was hilarious. It was another version of “this is the moment Trump became president” that we’ve been hearing for years now, every time he does something that isn’t 100% selfish and based on being an asshole.
How much you want to bet that there’ll be an outbreak of covid at Walter Reed that can be traced back to him and his fucking entourage stomping through the hospital.
Welcome to the US- sign up to join the army, go to war, come back with a purple heart and no leg, end up homeless or die in hospital from covid thanks to your commander-in-chief and his fucking paper pushing officers.
So many people don’t cover their nose! It’s making me so frigging angry!
A lot say that they “can’t” cover their nose because their glasses get foggy. Ugh! Like what if healthcare professionals were such babies!
My glasses DO get foggy if I don’t secure it properly around my nose. Also, don’t breathe through the mouth if you can avoid it. But your breath shouldn’t be backdrafting up into your glasses if you put the mask on correctly. These people aren’t even willing to try.
Nose out makes me think, “balls out”, sorry, lurid analogy, but it creeps, like do you wear your underwear like that as we’ll? yuck
I think the republicans are hoping if they keep complimenting him and telling him how “presidential” he looks he will wear it more often. It won’t work though.
Besides the point of what position he has, based on no talent whatsoever…the circle jerking over doing the barest minimum angers me to no end. 4 months too late with 140K dead
Shame it doesn’t cover his entire face. What he/the world needs is a Mask of Invisibility.
I countered everyone on Twitter lauding him for wearing the mask with the picture of his exposed nose. This was pure photo op, nothing more.
I was also struck by his entourage. Two dozen people walking through a major hospital and only one of them was a woman and only two of them were Black men. That doesn’t resemble any medical team I encountered at a major hospital in the past two decades. More women are entering the medical profession than men and I understand our military is increasingly diverse, yet Trump’s entourage doesn’t reflect our society
And the only reason he’s wearing it is because it’s a HOSPITAL!! I don’t care if he’s the president. They’re not going to let him wander through a freaking hospital without a mask.
My preschooler has been wearing a mask for months and requires very little cajoling. He knows it’s so he doesn’t spread germs and it’s how he lets other people know he cares about them. And my kid has a pretty average level of empathy and understanding for his age, I‘d say. It’s ridiculous that the frigging president has to be begged and fawned over to get this to happen.
He’s only doing this because deep down he is scared he will be infected because he can’t deny (in his hollow heart) that more people are infected. So he is getting more paranoid.
Naw. Hospital rules. Everyone in the hospital has to wear a mask, and his handlers thwarted Trump’s temper tantrum with the “veterans are coming out of surgery” line in an attempt to appeal to his inner sympathy. That’s why he echoed it – he wouldn’t come up with something like that on his own. If he had his way, the photographer would have been dismissed once he acquiesced to wearing the mask. But, bigly thought he looked bigly tough wearing a mask for the vet’rans, so photographer stayed.
He has zero capacity for sympathy or empathy. The only thing he’s capable of is apathy. The cajoled him into it by telling him it would *look* like he cares about the health of veterans. Since his fan base goes rabid over supporting troops, even though trump has shown repeatedly he does not give one sh*t about active duty military or veterans.
Also because Walter Reed wouldn’t let him wander around for his photo op without a mask.
They likely had to promise his mask would have the presidential seal in order for him to wear it.
I agree this was a straight photo op. I’ve been tweeting the photo looks like Darth Vader and his storm troopers. Drumpf was in Miami without a mask yesterday and is attacking Dr Fauci this morning. Another day another distraction. Mary Trumps book will be released tomorrow, Barr appearing before the Senate, poll numbers continue to tank. Desperation in action.
From what I read he didn’t wear it while on the way to or from Walter Reed. Can’t understand why he is being given a cookie for doing the bare minimum.
While this piece of dried up shit worries about himself, we’re taking my 14yo to his best friend’s funeral tomorrow night. He has two friends. Two really good friends, and one went to bed the night before his birthday last week and never woke. He had a heart condition. When his mom called me, she couldn’t speak, but she promised they’d make sure everyone would be wearing masks. She’s choking out words of safety while our treasonous corrupt leader believes all life is about him.
That is so tragic, Mabs. What a burden of sorrow for that poor family, and your son too, losing a friend and having to come face-to-face with the reality of mortality at such a young age.
@Mabs, how utterly awful. That poor mom, and your sweet son must be heartbroken. I’m so sorry.
This is only the second time I’ve discussed it in any way. I don’t want him hearing me. He heard the phone call, came in and saw my face drained of all color. I was hoping he could escape this kind of loss so soon, but alas… we sat down in silence after I told him. You know when news punches your gut so hard the hurt is tangible? We just sat together for about an hour before he said something. He was worried he wasn’t handling it correctly. I was like aw honey, however you’re feeling is exactly how you should be feeling. We can just breathe today.
Normally I’m consumed with far too much hate for feckless no-spine, but over the weekend, I was picked up, given a bit of a shake and placed back. I’m trying to be better now lol.
how awful for his family…and for your poor kid.
So sorry to hear that. sending strength and peaceful thoughts to all of you.
I’m sorry Mabs, that’s a horrible tragedy. Hopefully it will help your son to know there is nothing anyone could have done for his friend. It’s like being hit by lightening. Random and unpredictable.
@Mabs
I am so so sorry for what your son (and the rest of your family) is going through. That poor mother. You guys are in my thoughts.
One would think a mask would improve this turds’s appearance, but it somehow makes him even creepier. Kill it with fire!
Can you imagine if he had worn a mask like this from the beginning? Or stepped up to the plate and actually led the country in the early weeks instead of making it about a hoax or people out to get him (still)? It would have been a cakewalk to re-election even with the economy struggling and thousands of people would still be alive.
Short sighted egotistical selfish moron. And GOP on twitter can miss me with the he looks awesome. It’s JULY and he’s also trying to discredit Fauci and the science. I’m in full anxiety/panic mode for when kids go back to school.
Also, maybe somebody told him don’t wear a mask and he is a petulant manchild who can’t stand being told what to do, so he did the opposite.
May he die in prison for his many crimes before he rots in hell.
I read his team specifically arranged a visit at a very particular venue that would allow them to convince Trump that wearing a mask would be appropriate and viewed with the utmost regard by the public, no risk of mockery or disrespect. Thus Walter Reed was chosen.
So, in order to cajole Trump to do the ABSOLUTE MINIMUM REQUIREMENT DURING THIS GLOBAL PANDEMIC DEVASTATING THE NATION HE LEADS, they had to come up with a special plan and type of visit. Think of that. Resources, time and energy are spent coming up with ways to make sure Trump’s feelings aren’t hurt and he won’t have a meltdown, all just to get him to wear a freaking mask.
And of course the Republicans are gonna milk this for all they can.
The bar. So low. So very very very low…
No risk of mockery or disrespect- I hope he brought the scalps of US soldiers that Putin sent him to “support the troops.”
I’ve been enjoying the storyline that Eminem was on a song released this weekend telling people to wear masks and then Trump did. https://twitter.com/ShadyTimes/status/1282077597715726336
My theory is that the administration has access to demographic data on who is hospitalized with Covid, even if states aren’t releasing that data publicly. I think that certain states have reached a point that more white people than POC are now at risk of dying, at least in states where Trump relies on support, and Republicans are freaking out and changing their tune. They can ignore POC suffering, but they can’t let their base know that they’re standing on a pile of white “real” American bodies.
Waves hello to Florida, Texas and Arizona