President Trump Encourages Americans To Wear A Mask, Saying 'They Have An Impact'

President Trump changed his rhetoric on wearing masks in a press conference Tuesday, saying that "they have an impact." Mr. Trump's comments came as dozens of states and the District of Columbia experience a rise in coronavirus infections.

Tuesday, July 21st 2020, 6:39 pm

By: CBS News


President Trump changed his rhetoric on wearing masks in a press conference Tuesday, saying that "they have an impact." Mr. Trump's comments came as dozens of states and the District of Columbia experience a rise in coronavirus infections.

Mr. Trump spoke about the worsening crisis in a briefing that came the day after the president announced he would revive White House coronavirus task force briefings, which were a near-daily staple throughout much of March and into April before tapering off in favor of White House events focused on resurrecting the ailing economy.

Mr. Trump urged Americans to wear a mask in the briefing. He largely resisted wearing a mask in public for months and downplayed their importance but tweeted a picture of himself wearing one on Monday.

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.

Asked on where members of the task force were during his press conference, Mr. Trump replied, "Dr. Birx is right outside."

Fauci told CBS News Tuesday afternoon that he had not heard anything about attending the briefing. He was sidelined from a task force briefing, led by Vice President Pence, at the Department of Education earlier this month, but appeared at a subsequent press briefing days later.

There have now been more than 3.8 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States, and more than 140,000 people have died due to the virus, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University.

Mr. Trump has been urging states to reopen their economies and schools despite rising cases.

First published on July 21, 2020 / 8:58 AM

© 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



logo

Get The Daily Update!

Be among the first to get breaking news, weather, and general news updates from News 9 delivered right to your inbox!

More Like This

July 21st, 2020

March 25th, 2024

March 1st, 2024

February 2nd, 2024

Top Headlines

March 29th, 2024

March 29th, 2024

March 29th, 2024

March 29th, 2024