- President
Donald Trump mocked Democratic nomineeJoe Biden for wearing aface mask at Tuesday night's presidential debate — two days before the president tested positive for COVID-19. - At the debate, Trump said he only wears a face mask if he feels he needs to.
- "I don't wear face masks like him," Trump said of Biden. "Every time you see him he's got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away ... and he shows up with the biggest mask I've ever seen."
- Wearing a face mask or covering is one of the most effective ways of reducing the spread of the novel
coronavirus . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended face coverings since April.
Just two days before testing positive for COVID-19, President Donald Trump was mocking Democratic nominee Joe Biden for wearing a face mask.
At the first presidential debate on Tuesday night, Trump said he thought masks "are OK" and that he only wears one when he feels he needs it.
—Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) October 2, 2020
"Tonight is an example. Everyone has had a test and you've had social distancing and all of the things that you have to," Trump said.
Sitting in the audience, without a face mask, was first lady Melania Trump, who has also tested positive for the coronavirus. Both of them had traveled with Hope Hicks, a close adviser to Trump, who tested positive earlier this week.
At the debate, Trump also attacked Biden for frequently wearing face masks in public.
"I don't wear face masks like him," Trump said. "Every time you see him he's got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away ... and he shows up with the biggest mask I've ever seen."
Biden responded by saying "masks make a big difference" in stemming coronavirus transmission, and noted if Americans wear masks and practice social distancing between now and January 2021, it could save up to 100,000 lives.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious-disease expert, also told Business Insider's Hilary Brueck that we may not get back to normal until summer 2022.
Trump has criticized Biden for wearing a face mask since May. The president refused to wear a mask in public for months before finally being pictured in one for the first time in July.
Wearing a face mask or covering is one of the most effective ways of reducing the spread of the novel coronavirus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended face coverings since April.