What Trump’s mask can’t hide (Opinion)
CNNEditor’s Note: Dean Obeidallah, a former attorney, is the host of SiriusXM radio’s daily program “The Dean Obeidallah Show” and a columnist for The Daily Beast. Trump’s campaign to undermine his own administration’s recommendation to wear a mask began that very day, at the very press conference, with Trump stating, “I’m choosing not to do it,” adding, “but some people want to do it and that’s okay.” And thus was born Trump’s politicization of a life-saving measure during a deadly pandemic. And the very next day, as our nation reached the gruesome number of 100,00 dead from the coronavirus, Trump shared a tweet mocking the presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden for wearing a mask, prompting Biden to respond by calling Trump “an absolute fool.” Since then, health officials have urged Americans to wear a mask, with the Trump administration’s own infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci stating on May 27, in what could be seen as a subtle jab to Trump, “I want to protect myself and protect others, and also because I want to make it be a symbol for people to see that that’s the kind of thing you should be doing.” In late June, New York Gov. “Let the President lead by example and let the President put a mask on it.” Cuomo also pleaded with Trump to follow New York’s lead and sign an executive order directing Americans to use face coverings, a measure Cuomo did in the Empire State back on April 15. Imagine if Trump on April 3, when his administration first recommended wearing masks – a time when the US Covid-19 death toll was 7,000 – had loudly embraced mask wearing in words and actions?