Trump wears face mask in public for 1st time during military hospital visit - CBC.ca

President Donald Trump wore a mask during a visit to a military hospital on Saturday, the first time the president has been seen in public with the type of facial covering recommended by health officials as a precaution against spreading or becoming infected by the novel coronavirus.

Trump was wearing a mask in Walter Reed's hallway as he began his visit.

The president was a latecomer to wearing a mask during the pandemic, which has raged across the U.S.

Most prominent Republicans, including Vice-President Mike Pence, endorsed wearing masks as the novel coronavirus gained ground this summer. Republican governors have been moving toward requiring or encouraging the use of masks as the pandemic has grown more serious in some states in the South and West.

While not wearing one himself, Trump has sent mixed signals about masks, acknowledging that they would be appropriate if worn in an indoor setting where people were close together.

The wearing of masks became another political dividing line, with Republicans more resistant to wearing them than Democrats.

The only time Trump has been known to wear a mask was during a private part of a tour of a Ford plant in Michigan.

"Donald Trump spent months ignoring the advice of medical experts and politicizing wearing a mask, one of the most important things we can do to prevent the spread of the virus," spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement.

On its website, Walter Reed carries this recommendation: "Whenever you're out in public, like at your local grocery store or pharmacy, where it's difficult to maintain 6 feet of social distance, you should wear a cloth face covering." The facility also notes that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the coronavirus.".