Published 12:25 IST, October 2nd 2020
Watch: Trump mocked Biden for wearing mask days before testing COVID positive
US President Donald Trump announced that he and First Lady Melania Trump have tested positive for COVID-19 after one his close aide got infected with the virus.
US President Donald Trump announced that he and First Lady Melania Trump have tested positive for coronavirus after one of his close aides got infected with the virus. Trump’s refusal to wear a mask in public places was well known but days before he got tested positive for COVID-19, the US President had mocked his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, for wearing a mask,
“I don't wear mask like him. Every time you see he has got a mask. You could be speaking 200 feet away from me and he shows up with the biggest mask I have ever seen,” said Trump during the first of the three Presidential debates on September 29.
Robert Maguire, Research Director at Citizens for Ethics, tweeted the video clip and said that he hoped it teaches the US President a “valuable lesson” about the importance of following the guidelines put forth by his own administration's health officials. After the couple were tested positive for COVID-19, epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding said that “karma is real”.
Watch the full debate here:
Refusal to wear mask
During a visit to a Ford Motor Co plant in Michigan in May, the US President refused to wear a face mask, drawing flak from all corners. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said that Trump is a “petulant child” who refuses to follow the rules, adding that the US President is sending the “worst possible message” to those people who can’t afford to get exposed to the virus.
Speaking to CNN, Nessel said that Trump is sending a message that he doesn't care about people's health and welfare and only cares about himself. Before leaving for Michigan, Trump had made a sarcastic remark in front of the reporters saying that he 'tested positively toward negative' for coronavirus.
Trump said, "I tested very positively in another sense. I tested positively toward negative. I tested perfectly this morning, meaning I tested negative."
Updated 12:24 IST, October 2nd 2020