President Trump changed his rhetoric about wearing masks at a press conference Tuesday, saying they “have an impact.” Trump’s comments came when dozens of states and the District of Columbia experienced a surge in coronavirus infections.
Trump spoke about the worsening crisis in a briefing that occurred the day after the president announced it would revive the White House coronavirus task force briefings, which were a near-daily staple for much of March and April before dwindling in favor of White House events focused on resuscitating the crisis economy.
Trump urged Americans to wear a mask at the briefing. To a large degree resisted wearing a mask in public for months and played down his importance, but tweeted a photo of himself using one on Monday.
“Whether you like the mask or not, they have an impact,” Trump said Tuesday. Later he added that “he will use it with pleasure, no problem.” He also commented on the development of vaccines, saying that “vaccines are coming and will come much sooner than anyone believed possible.” However, the president warned that there could be an increase in cases in the near future.
“Some parts of the country are doing very well, others are doing worse. It will probably get worse before it gets better. I don’t like saying that, but that’s the way it is,” Trump said.
Still, he painted a largely positive picture of the pandemic response, saying the United States had produced “thousands” of fans per day and arguing that the US response had been “better than most.” He also claimed that none of the 50 governors in the country “need something now” to tackle new outbreaks.
“We are stocked and ready to go,” Trump said. He also reiterated his belief that “the virus will disappear” and said “we are all responsible” when asked if he is responsible for the death toll from the virus. The President also said that he would make these reports more often.
Mr. Trump was not accompanied by other members of the White House coronavirus task force, such as Dr. Deborah Birx, the coronavirus response coordinator, or Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
When asked where the task force members were during his press conference, Mr. Trump replied, “Dr. Birx is right outside.”
Fauci told CBS News on Tuesday afternoon that he had not heard anything about attending the briefing. He was barred from a working group briefing, led by Vice President Pence, at the Department of Education earlier this month, but appeared at a subsequent press conference days later.
There have now been more than 3.8 million confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States, and more than 140,000 people have died from the virus, according to a count by Johns Hopkins University.
Trump has been urging states to reopen their economies and schools despite mounting cases.
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