Donald Trump calls reporter who wore face mask to ask question 'politically correct'
Donald Trump has called a reporter who insisted on wearing a face mask while asking a question “politically correct” as his clash with Joe Biden over whether to wear one escalated.
The US president denied he was mocking Mr Biden, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, for wearing a mask at a recent memorial event after sharing a photo of him doing so on Twitter.
Mr Biden also pushed back against Mr Trump, who has been reluctant to wear a mask when seen in public, calling the president an “absolute fool” for failing to do so.
The stand-off was seen as a new poll found that only half of Americans say they will definitely take a coronavirus vaccine if it is developed.
A poll for the Associated Press found that 49 per cent of respondents said they would get vaccinated, 31 per cent said they were not sure and 20 per cent said they would not.
Back in April the Trump administration changed its guidance and told Americans to wear masks in public to stop the spread of Covid-19, having previously indicated it was not effective.
However Mr Trump, despite at times saying he would be willing to wear a mask, has continued not to do so at press conferences and most recent out-of-state visits.
On Monday's Memorial Day, a US bank holiday to remember soldiers, Mr Trump and his wife Melania did not wear masks at public events but Mr Biden and his wife Jill did.
On Tuesday Mr Trump was challenged about a tweet he shared written by a Fox News analyst showing Mr Biden in a mask with the words “this might help explain why Trump doesn’t like to wear a mask in public”.
Mr Trump responded: “Joe Biden can wear a mask, but he was standing outside with his wife, perfect conditions, perfect weather... And so I thought it was very unusual that he had one on."
He added: “But I thought that was fine. I wasn’t criticising at all. Why would I ever do a thing like that?”
During the same press conference, Mr Trump asked a journalist asking a question through a face mask to remove it, apparently struggling to hear what was being said.
When the reporter declined to do so and began to repeat the question louder, Mr Trump said: “Oh okay, you want to be politically correct.”
Mr Biden, in an interview with CNN aired on Tuesday night, was critical of Mr Trump’s apparent reluctance to be seen with a mask in public.
“He’s a fool, an absolute fool to talk that way,” Mr Biden said. “Presidents are supposed to lead, not engage in folly and be falsely masculine.”
Mr Biden later changed the picture on his official Twitter profile to one of him wearing a mask.
The row reflects how wearing a mask in America has increasingly become politicised, with Democrats more likely to do so than Republicans according to polls.
Mr Trump has repeatedly urged states to start loosening coronavirus restrictions and reopening their economies, warning that a recession could lead to more suicides.
Sean Hannity, a Fox News host who is close to Mr Trump, urged his listeners to wear masks in a message markedly different in tone from that of the president.
"In the short period of time, it’s only temporary, [if you] can’t social distance, please wear the mask,” Mr Hannity told viewers.
Meanwhile the US Census Bureau found that a third of Americans now show signs of clinical anxiety or depression, according to the results of a survey it put out.
The bureau contacted a million households and got more than 42,000 responses. Of those who replied 30 per cent showed symptoms of generalised anxiety disorder.
It is possible the numbers may reflect an element of self-selection, given only a small fraction of those households approached gave answers.
