US President Donald Trump is known for his appearances without masks even after COVID-19 restrictions were announced. During his latest visit to the Ford Motor Company facility in Michigan also he was spotted without a mask and spoke to the media about the reason he was not wearing one.
After visiting the facility, Trump spoke to the media and said he was not wearing a mask as he did not want to give the media the pleasure of seeing it. Reports also claim that Trump wearing a mask would send a wrong message to the public as he was pushing for reopening the country.
"I wore one in the back area. I didn't want to give the press the pleasure of seeing it," Trump said. He said he wore goggles inside the facility and even produced the mask with the presidential seal on it to the media.
He said he looked better when he wore a mask and that he was wearing it inside when it was necessary. When asked why he was not wearing it outside, he said it was not necessary and that he as well as people with him had tested for COVID-19 that morning.
Governor's Plea in Vain
Earlier, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said that Trump should wear a mask while visiting the Ford facility. The visit was an important one as the company is producing ventilators to help fight the coronavirus. Reporters also spoke to Bill Ford, chairman of the company, and asked him if he was fine with Trump not wearing a mask. He reportedly responded by saying "up to him," with his arms held out.
Democratic attorney general Dan Nessel took a dig at Trump's actions and said wearing a mask was not just a policy of Ford but also an executive order of the governor. It is currently the law of the state (Michigan). It is not only a legal responsibility, but also a social and moral one, Nessel said. Trump repeatedly claimed that he wore a mask inside the facility and removed it now due to the press, and because it was not necessary.
The US currently has 1.61 million coronavirus cases with 95,087 deaths. New York reported 356,000 cases followed by New Jersey with 151,000, Illinois with 103,000, Massachusetts with 90,084 and California with 86,197 confirmed cases as on May 22.
