George Stephanopoulos Presses Donald Trump Adviser On President’s Limited Mask-Wearing
During an appearance on ABC News’ This Week, Donald Trump’s senior campaign adviser, Jason Miller, was pressed by host George Stephanopoulos about the president’s limited mask-wearing in the wake of his recent coronavirus diagnosis.
As reported by The Hill, Stephanopoulos noted that Trump went to many events without a mask after he contracted and later tested positive for the virus. In response, Miller indicated that Trump is one of the most frequently tested people in the United States and highlighted Trump’s mask use in places where social distancing isn’t possible.
“So even with all of these things in place, we’ve seen where President Trump did contract COVID, but he’s one of the most safe people that’s out there,” the White House official said.
Stephanopoulos continued to press Miller on Trump rallies and campaign stops where the U.S. leader did not wear a mask and asked whether the president will approach his daily life differently now that he has contracted the virus.
“Again, I’ll push back on that and say it hasn’t been cavalier at all,” Miller said.
“We take it very seriously. That’s why we give everyone coming to rallies or to events — we give them masks. We check their temperature.”
Miller also accused Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden — who has been wearing a mask in public for months — of using the garment as a political prop.
Despite Miller’s defense of Trump, the head of state has been stubborn in his refusal to put on a mask many times over the past months. As The Inquisitr reported, progressive commentator Sam Seder previously accused the U.S. leader of attempting to create a culture war over the use of masks. Interestingly, research has found that Democrats are 20 percent more likely to use masks as a preventative against coronavirus in public than Republicans.
As reported by The New York Times, Trump downplayed the effectiveness of masks for months.
“You don’t have to do it. They suggested for a period of time, but this is voluntary. I don’t think I’m going to be doing it.”
The publication also noted that Trump has refused to wear a mask on many occasions and has mocked Biden for wearing one — most recently at the first presidential debate. Although the head of state began encouraging Americans to wear them in the summer, The New York Times noted that he often stops short of full-throated support of the preventative measure. Notably, at the debate, he claimed that Dr. Anthony Fauci previously said that masks are “not good,” which the infectious disease expert denied.
