This archive report was first published on 12 July 2020.
On July 11, 2020, US President Donald Trump made a rare appearance in public wearing a mask during a visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in suburban Washington DC.
Trump's decision to wear a mask came as cases of coronavirus surged to record levels in the US and after aides and experts urged him to follow his own government's guidelines on face coverings.
As he left the White House, Trump told reporters: 'When you're in a hospital, especially … I think it's expected to wear a mask.'
Trump's visit to the hospital was to meet wounded service members and healthcare providers caring for Covid-19 patients.
At the time, several people working in proximity to the president had tested positive for coronavirus, including his son Donald Jr's girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, who tested positive before Trump's rally at Mount Rushmore on July 3, 2020.
Trump's decision to wear a mask was seen as a significant shift in his stance on face coverings, which had been a subject of controversy in recent weeks.
