'A patriotic gesture': Trump changes his tone on the use of masks
Just over 100 days before the US elections and with polls unfavorable for Donald Trump, the US president drastically changed his tone on the use of masks, assuring that wearing them is a "patriotic" action. Additionally, he announced that he will resume his presidential briefings.
This July 21 and after more than four months into the health crisis in the United States due to the new coronavirus, President Donald Trump finally spoke in favor of the use of these prevention elements.
And he did so with a message on Twitter: "We are united in our effort to defeat China's invisible virus and many people say that it is patriotic to wear a mask when there can be no social distance. There is no one more patriotic than me, your president! favorite!".
We are United in our effort to defeat the Invisible China Virus, and many people say that it is Patriotic to wear a face mask when you can’t socially distance. There is nobody more Patriotic than me, your favorite President! pic.twitter.com/iQOd1whktN
Although in his message the president continues to link the existence of the virus with China, a country that he has repeatedly blamed for the pandemic, the recent tweet contrasts with the rhetoric that the tycoon has used so far.
Throughout the crisis, Trump has insisted that the virus will just "go away," ignoring expert advice to wear masks. But even after his last message, in which he appeals to a "patriotic" spirit, he has not responded to the health calls to make the use of these elements mandatory among the population.
Polls punish Trump for his handling of the pandemic
However, the president's position regarding the emergency in his country, which on July 21 leaves a total of more than 3,845,000 infected and 141,110 deaths with growing outbreaks in states led by Republicans such as Texas or Florida, has cost him disapproval of a good part of the population, even among its most loyal supporters.
Trump has tried to minimize the severity of the health crisis, and tried to get voters to focus on what he considers good economic management. In a recent interview on 'Fox News Sunday', the mogul claimed again that he would be "eventually right" in stating that the virus will disappear.
However, the fall in some economic indicators and the upsurge in various states in which he supported a reopening, judged by experts as premature, are taking their toll.
His rival in the presidential elections, Democrat Joe Biden, already has a double-digit lead in voting intention according to some electoral polls. In addition, the most recent poll conducted by the 'Washington Post' newspaper shows that almost two-thirds of voters distrust Trump's management in the face of the pandemic.
Donald Trump to resume daily press sessions
On the other hand, on July 21, the president criticized that the media only offer information about the situation in the United States, without reflecting what is happening in other highly affected countries.
"When you see the news, the local news, it is as if it were the United States. They never like to talk about what is happening in the world," he said, and reported that to combat "misinformation" it will resume from 22 July the presidential briefings, a space he left last April after being accused of offering confusing and misleading information.
The briefings that Trump now intends to resume ended badly after several irritating encounters with some journalists and especially after the president rambled on the possibility of injecting people with household disinfectant to combat the disease.
"I see that the disinfectant knocks it out (the virus) in a minute. In a minute. Wouldn't there be some way to do something like that with an injection inside or almost a cleaning?", The US president said to the astonishment of your advisers.
Although Trump soon claimed to have spoken sarcastically, his words unleashed a wave of criticism among scientists and specialists, who described the comments as "dangerous" and accused the president of "irresponsible."
