- President Donald Trump has never worn a mask in public, and on Tuesday drew criticism for not covering his face during a factory tour on Tuesday.
- According to a new Associated Press report, he is afraid he would look ridiculous in it, and that his opponents will use footage of him in attack ads and hurt his reelection changes.
- Trump reportedly also believes that wearing a face mask would “send the wrong message” that he is more focused on the current health threat than reopening the economy, sources told the AP.
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President Donald Trump is worried wearing a face mask in public could ruin his chances of being reelected, according to a new report from the Associated Press (AP).
The president has never been seen wearing a mask in public, and drew criticism on Tuesday for failing to wear a face mask during a tour of a Honeywell plant in Arizona – going against both CDC guidance and a rule requiring workers at the factory to wear them.
(Bizarrely, the Guns N’ Roses version of “Live and Let Die” was also played during the visit.)
Trump reportedly believes that wearing a face mask would “send the wrong message” that he is more focused on the current health threat than reopening the economy, one administration source and two campaign officials told the AP.
Aides believe that getting the US economy up and running again is key to winning in November.
One of the officials added that Trump is afraid he might look ridiculous wearing a face mask, and that the image could be used against him in attack ads.
This isn't the first time that Trump has publicly gone against coronavirus safety guidelines.
In early March, the president said that he would continue to shake people's hands, despite health officials' warnings, saying "you can't be a politician and not shake hands."
The White House did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment on the AP report.
