Biden on Trump Not Wearing a Mask: ‘Absolute Fool,’ ‘Stoking Deaths’

Tuesday on CNN’s “Situation Room,” presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden said President Donald Trump not wearing a mask in public amid the coronavirus pandemic was because he is an “absolute fool.”

Dana Bash said, “You mentioned the mask, that you wore a mask yesterday. President Trump went to a Memorial Day service. He did not wear a mask. It’s not just some people making fun of you. He did. He went on Twitter, retweeted a photo of you wearing it, he’s trying to belittle you for wearing a mask, making it seem like a sign of weakness. Is it?”

Biden said, “He’s a fool, an absolute fool to talk that way. Every leading doc in the world is saying you should wear a mask when you’re in a crowd, and especially when you know you’re going to be in a position where you’re going to inadvertently get closer than 12 feet to somebody. I know we’re 12 feet apart, I get that. But it’s just absolutely —this macho stuff, for a guy — I shouldn’t get going, but it’s cost people lives. It’s costing people’s lives. Like I said, we’re almost 100,000 dead today. 100,000 people. Columbia study showing, if he had just started a week earlier, we would have saved thousands of lives. I mean, this is a tragedy.”

Bash said, “Wearing a mask has become a cultural and political flashpoint. The president is involved in that, even stoking that.”

Biden said, “Sure he is, and he’s stoking deaths. That’s not going to increase the likelihood that people are going to be better off.”

Bash said, “Do you think wearing a mask projects strength or weakness?”

Biden said, “Leadership. What it projects is leadership. Presidents are supposed to lead, not engage in folly, and be falsely masculine. It reminds me of the guys that I grew up with playing ball. They would walk around with a ball in their hand, but they didn’t like to hit very much.”

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN

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