President Trump said Sunday that he is “a believer in the masks” in the fight against the new coronavirus pandemic, but added that it is up to state governors to decide whether or not to implement an order that requires people to wear them in public. .
During an exclusive interview on “Fox News Sunday,” the president deferred to state officials on the subject of the masks when questioned by moderator Chris Wallace.
“Everyone who says they don’t wear a mask suddenly everyone should wear a mask, and as you know, masks also cause problems,” Trump said. That being said, I believe in masks. I think the masks are good. “
Trump added: “But I leave it to the governors. Many of the governors are changing. They are more masked, they like the concept of masks, but some of them disagree. “
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The president’s comments come just days after the Director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Robert Redfield, urged Americans to wear masks in public, saying the pandemic could be under control within four to six weeks if every American wore a mask.
“We are not defenseless against COVID-19,” said Redfield. “Cloth face covers are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus, particularly when used universally in a community setting. All Americans have a responsibility to protect themselves, their families, and their communities. “
Trump, however, said he disagrees with Redfield’s statement, saying the decision to wear a mask was “a certain freedom.”
“I want people to have some freedom, and I don’t believe in that,” said Trump. “No, and I disagree with the statement that if everyone wears a mask, everything disappears.”
Trump, who first wore a mask in public last weekend during a trip to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, changed course in his call for the reopening of schools. The president has threatened to cut federal funding for public schools if states don’t reopen classrooms for in-person learning, arguing that youth are less affected by COVID-19.
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“Young people have to go to school, and there are problems when you don’t go to school either,” Trump said. “And there will be a financing problem because we will not finance, when their schools do not open. We are not going to finance them. We will not give you money if you do not go to school. If they don’t open.
Wallace rejected Trump’s funding argument, saying the federal government only gives 8 percent of all funds to public schools, and that most of that money goes to disadvantaged students and children with disabilities, before asking Trump why he wouldn’t want federal funding to be used to make schools safer from the virus.
Trump responded by citing the example of New Jersey, which said it only has one person under the age of 18 killed by COVID-19.
“Out of all these thousands, one person under the age of 18, across the state, one person and that was a person who had, I think he said diabetes,” he said. “A person under the age of 18 died in the state of New Jersey during all of this.”
Trump added: “They had a bad time. And they are doing very well now, so that’s it. ”
