Trump is reportedly avoiding wearing a face mask because he believes it will negatively affect his chances of being reelected and fears that wearing one would make him look “ridiculous,” according to an Associated Press report citing anonymous insiders.
Trump has never been seen wearing a mask in public, and his disdain for the new, necessary accessory prompted him to go as far as instantly decline to follow the guidelines set by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last month, which recommend that people wear face coverings to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
In response, Trump stated, “I don’t think that I’m going to be doing it.”
On Tuesday, Trump was criticized for failing to wear a mask while touring a Honeywell facility in Phoenix, Arizona, which manufactures critically needed N95 respirators for health care workers.
