- "If I'm with soldiers — I don't want to spread anything," President Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity on Thursday. "A lot of it is you spreading, not them spreading."
- The president is set to visit Walter Reed Hospital on Friday.
- Public health experts and some Republicans have urged Trump to wear a mask in public in order to lead by example.
- But he mocked his Democratic rival Joe Biden for doing that. "I think it makes him feel good," he said.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
President Donald Trump mocked his Democratic rival for wearing a mask at a recent campaign event but said that he himself would wear one himself "in the right setting," such as Walter Reed Hospital, which he is visiting on Friday.
"If I'm with soldiers — I don't want to spread anything," Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity on Thursday. "A lot of it is you spreading, not them spreading."
"I have no problem with masks," he added. "It's up to you."
The comments came after the president made fun of former Vice President Joe Biden for donning a facial covering during a recent campaign event. "I think it makes him feel good," he said.
"I have no problem with masks, it's really up to you," Trump says, as if his opinion is irrelevant, when in fact his choices influence millions of people. pic.twitter.com/0JyFFQhK3M
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) July 10, 2020
Public health experts have stressed the need for facial coverings in public settings, lamenting the fact that a step that could save thousands of lives has become a partisan matter.
"Wearing a mask should be a health issue, not a political issue," Dr. Marissa Levine, a professor at the University of South Florida, told Business Insider this week. States that mandated face coverings early on — not leaving it to individual choice – have enjoyed superior health outcomes, she noted.
Some Fox News personalities have even encouraged Trump to follow Biden's lead and put on a face covering at public events.
"I think that if the president wore one, it would just set a good example," Steve Doocy, a host of Fox & Friends, said recently.
Have a news tip? Email this reporter: cdavis@insider.com
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: Inside London during COVID-19 lockdown
https://ift.tt/2ZgnJ4V