A lack of wearing masks is not why President Donald Trump has caught the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. As Andrea Widburg explained, Trump is always surrounded by a protective screen in which everyone is checked for temperature and symptoms.
But the lie that Trump does not take any virus seriously is simply insupportable. From 2019:
“The president’s admitted germaphobia [sic] has been a fixture throughout his career – from real-estate deal rooms to casino floors – and it’s now popping up in more public ways. It could create another round of tactile challenges as Trump launches his 2020 campaign, during which he might try to steer visitors toward his signature thumbs-up selfies and away from handshakes for the next 16 months.” [Daniel Lippman, “The Purell presidency: Trump aides learn the president’s real red line,” Politico, July 7, 2019.]
“He asks visitors if they’d like to wash their hands in a bathroom near the Oval Office. He’ll send a military doctor to help an aide caught coughing on Air Force One.
“And the first thing he often tells his body man upon entering the Beast after shaking countless hands at campaign events: ‘Give me the stuff’ – an immediate squirt of Purell.
“Two and a half years into his term, President Donald Trump is solidifying his standing as the most germ-conscious man to ever lead the free world. His aversion shows up in meetings at the White House, on the campaign trail and at 30,000 feet.” [Id.]
Trump is being falsely smeared, once again, because he is one of the few national leaders giving correct information. Expert guidance has always been, first, don’t wear masks at all, and then never mind that now; either social distance or wear a mask – not necessarily both. Just because the president does not wear a mask when speaking from the podium or in social distancing situation does not mean he is “anti-mask.”
Virginia’s courts have been paranoid about COVID-19. Almost every hearing has been by Zoom or WebEx. Jury trials are canceled. Low-priority cases have been automatically postponed.
Yet, following the correct guidance, when in-person hearings are required, judges take their masks off on the bench. That’s because they are at a social distance from everyone else. Attorneys at their tables and witnesses taking the stand remove their mask to talk and be heard.
That’s what Trump has always done. A mask is not recommended when speaking from a podium at a distance from everyone else. Trump is not anti-mask.
But today we need to contrast Trump with Virginia’s Democratic governor, Ralph Northam. This is an important way to help busy people quickly and vividly “get it.”
Sept. 25, 2020 – Virginia’s obsessively mask-wearing Northam and his wife, Pamela, test infected for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. In an exact parallel to the country’s president and first lady, Virginia’s governor and first lady had the exact same diagnosis only about one week earlier:
“Northam, 61, a former Army doctor and pediatrician, has required Virginians to wear masks inside public spaces during the pandemic. He also has urged frequent hand-washing and social distancing.
“‘As I have been reminding Virginians throughout this crisis, #COVID19 is very real and very contagious,’ he tweeted Friday. ‘We are grateful for your thoughts and support, but the best thing you can do for us – and most importantly, for your fellow Virginians – is to take this virus seriously.'” [Laura Vozzella, “Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, wife test positive for coronavirus,” Washington Post, Sept. 25, 2020.]
This writer is a Virginia attorney. In Virginia, no one can enter any store or office or government building without wearing a face mask.
Oct. 2, 2020 – One week later: President Donald Trump, falsely smeared as opposed to masks, and his wife, Melania, test infected for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
“President Trump revealed early Friday morning that he and the first lady, Melania Trump, had tested positive for the coronavirus, throwing the nation’s leadership into uncertainty and escalating the crisis posed by a pandemic that has already killed more than 207,000 Americans and devastated the economy.” [Peter Baker and Maggie Haberman, “Trump Tests Positive for the Coronavirus,” The New York Times, Oct. 2, 2020.]
The Washington Post defended Northam after he became infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus:
“Northam has tried to chart a nuanced path through the pandemic, imposing strict restrictions early on to try to contain the virus while easing up in some areas ahead of neighboring Maryland and D.C.”
Virginia was not among the first states to be completely shut down, but the restrictions were severe. And when Virginia went into partial re-opening, Northam ordered the transition by expanding – not relaxing – the requirement to wear masks. Yet “Governor Mask” still caught COVID-19.
As explained in my book “Covid: Hindsight is 2020,” the president has no constitutional authority to order mask-wearing nationwide. And if we “follow the science,” we will be running in circles. The U.S. surgeon general said on Feb. 29, 2020:
Infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci told “60 Minutes” on March 8, 2020:
“Right now people should not be wearing … there is no reason to be walking around with a mask. When you are in the middle of an outbreak wearing a mask might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet. But it is not providing the perfect protection that people think it is. And often there are unintended consequences. People keep fiddling with the mask, and they keep touching their face.”
Mask enthusiasts say that was only a ruse because of limited supply. No. Experts warned us that the mask collects the virus. Then you touch your face under the mask and transfer concentrated virus from your face to your hand to whatever you then touch. So the mask is a virus collector.
Masks and social distancing were meant to slow the spread – not stop the virus. The virus got to the president because “a virus gonna virus.” Our human abilities are simply more limited than we want to admit.