House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Sunday said that it’s “definitely long overdue” for a federal mandate on wearing masks as coronavirus cases spike in several states during an interview on ABC News.
After acknowledging that the Centers for Disease Control recommended the use of masks because it didn’t want to “offend the President,” Pelosi proceeded to tear into President Trump.
“And the President should be example,” Pelosi said. “You know, real men wear masks. Be an example to the country and wear the mask, not only to pro — it’s not about protecting yourself. It’s about protecting others and their families.”
According to the CDC, everyone “should wear a cloth face cover when they have to go out in public” to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Trump, however, has yet to wear a mask in public.
On Sunday, Pence deferred to state and local officials when asked about wearing masks in public during an interview on CBS, echoing his remarks during the first briefing in nearly two months from the White House Coronavirus Task Force two days before.
“President Trump and I, after asking the American people to embrace 45 days to slow the spread, we issued guidelines to reopen America and since that day, nearly two months ago, we’ve made it clear that we want to defer to governors, we want to defer to local officials and people should listen to them,” Pence said on CBS.
Pence added in his interview on CBS that “we believe people should wear masks wherever social distancing is not possible.” The VP also claimed that he has worn a mask on “several occasions this week” and that Trump has done so as well.
Watch Pelosi’s remarks below:
JUST IN: @GStephanopoulos: “Is it time to mandate the wearing of masks across the country?”
“Definitely long overdue for that,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi says, adding that the CDC recommended use of masks but did not mandate it as to “not offend" Pres. Trump. https://t.co/y2qk2iXUsd pic.twitter.com/GTJ8UUieKm
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) June 28, 2020
