This archive report was first published on 12 July 2020.
On July 11, 2020, President Donald Trump visited the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he met with wounded soldiers and front-line health-care workers. In a departure from his previous stance, Trump wore a navy blue mask emblazoned with a presidential seal during the visit.
Trump's decision to wear a mask came as the US continued to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic. As of July 10, 2020, the number of confirmed US infections had topped 3 million, and new cases of COVID-19 had risen by more than 69,000 on the previous day, a third straight daily record.
Top public health officials had urged the use of masks to slow the spread of the virus, and critics had accused Trump of showing a lack of leadership by refusing to wear one in public. However, Trump had previously said that wearing a mask was a personal choice, and that he would only do so if he was in a crowd and could not maintain distance from others.
During the visit, Trump walked by media gathered for a carefully staged photo opportunity, saying only 'thank you' as he passed. The visit marked Trump's first public appearance with a face covering since the pandemic began.
Trump's decision to wear a mask was seen as a significant shift in his approach to the pandemic. However, critics argued that he had spent months ignoring the advice of medical experts and politicizing wearing a mask.
Andrew Bates, a spokesman for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, said, 'Rather than taking responsibility and leading, he wasted four months that Americans have been making sacrifices by stoking divisions and actively discouraging people from taking a very basic step to protect each other.'
