Speaking from the Brady Briefing Room at the White House Tuesday evening, President Trump gave an update on his administration's work against Wuhan coronavirus and called on Americans to wear masks when they can't social distance.
"Anything that potentially can help is a good thing," Trump said. "It helps."
"Now, we have had experts who have said in the recent past that masks aren't necessarily good to wear...now they've changed their mind and if they've changed their mind that's good enough for me," he added.
TRUMP: "When you are not able to socially distance, wear a mask, get a mask. Whether you like the mask or not, they have an impact, they'll have an effect—and we need everything we can get." pic.twitter.com/2a5M1AmTNC
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) July 21, 2020
Yesterday President Trump tweeted that wearing a mask is patriotic.
We are United in our effort to defeat the Invisible China Virus, and many people say that it is Patriotic to wear a face mask when you can’t socially distance. There is nobody more Patriotic than me, your favorite President! pic.twitter.com/iQOd1whktN
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 20, 2020
President Trump has stopped short of issuing a national mask mandate, which he told Fox News' Chris Wallace cuts against American freedom and doesn't fully solve the problem.
"I want people to have a certain freedom and I don’t believe in that," he said. "I don't agree with the statement that if everyone wears a mask everything disappears."