Pelosi says Trump's public face mask appearance shows an 'admission' it can stop spread of virus

Appearing on CNN’s State of the Union this Sunday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi talked about Donald Trump’s recent public appearance in a face mask. Trump’s non-mask moments have made headlines, and for good reason. As the nation battles against the novel coronavirus pandemic, experts point to a few ways we can work to slow the spread of the virus; wash your hands frequently, practice social distancing, avoid large crowds, oh, and wear a mask or face covering. Trump, famously, has not worn a mask when visiting a PPE factory in Pennsylvania, or recently, when arriving in Miami, in spite of the county’s mask mandate. Vice President Mike Pence has also famously foregone a mask at events; for example, while visiting the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Trump’s first public appearance wearing a mask occurred on Saturday when he visited Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. As NPR notes, Trump briefly donned a mask in May when visiting a Ford facility, though as NBC News notes, not in front of cameras. But given how often he appears without them, and his lies about the coronavirus pandemic in general, Democratic leadership is still trying to reach across the aisle and pull some good out of this public-mask-moment.

When speaking on State of The Union, Pelosi said she was “so glad” Trump adhered to the rules at Walter Reed. “Now, he’s crossed a bridge,” the California Democrat said on Sunday’s show. “That's an admission that if you're going to see our soldiers, you have to wear a mask. If you're going to be with our children, you have to wear a mask. If we want to stop the spread of the coronavirus, you have to wear a mask."

Pelosi noted: "Hopefully, by his example, he will change his attitude, which will be helpful in stopping the spread of the coronavirus.”

And that really is a hope to have at this point; we know that people do continue to listen to Trump, and follow his example; just think about the general panic that went out over he floated chloroquine phosphate as a possible cure for the virus, and an Arizona man in his 60s actually died after attempting to take it. To survive the pandemic, people from all political sides need to do their best to be safe and careful, and that includes wearing a mask or other face-covering when at all possible.