Trump claims he's 'all for masks' after refusing to publicly wear one himself for months

• President Donald Trump said he supports wearing face masks to contain the spread of the coronavirus, despite refusing to wear a mask himself.
• "I'm all for masks, I think masks are good," Trump said during a Wednesday interview with Fox Business, adding that he doesn't think they should be mandatory.
• Trump has refused to set an example for the nation by wearing a mask, which many studies have shown can block the respiratory droplets through which viral particles are spread.
• This comes as the virus is surging in states across the country, including those like Florida and Texas, where many residents aren't following federal social distancing guidelines.

President Donald Trump said he supports wearing face masks to contain the spread of the coronavirus, despite for months refusing to wear a mask himself.

"I'm all for masks, I think masks are good," Trump said during a Wednesday interview with Fox Business.

The president claimed he's worn a face mask in "tight" groups and quipped that he "sort of liked the way I looked" while wearing it.

But he added that he doesn't think mandatory mask-wearing orders, which many states have implemented, are necessary.

Trump has refused to set an example for the nation by wearing a mask publicly, and in May said he didn't wear a face covering during a visit to an indoor Ford plant in Michigan because he "didn't want to give the press the pleasure of seeing it." His suggestion that masks are unnecessary or embarassing has helped politicize an important tool for containing Covid-19.

The president has held two indoor campaign rallies in recent weeks in Oklahoma and Arizona where a large percentage of the thousands of attendees refused to wear masks.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has long recommended that Americans wear cloth face coverings when they're unable to social distance in public. Many states and localities have implemented their own orders requiring residents to wear masks in public.

There is mounting evidence that face coverings can block the respiratory droplets through which viral particles are spread and reduce the spread of Covid-19.

This comes as Republican leaders, including Vice President Mike Pence and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have begun urging Americans to wear masks.

Upwards of 40,000 people in the US are currently contracting the coronavirus every day as the virus surges in states like Florida, Arizona, Texas, Georgia, and California.

During Senate testimony on Tuesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, warned the country could see as many as 100,000 new Covid-19 cases per day "if this does not turn around."

—Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) July 1, 2020

Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, and other top Democrats have aggressively made the case for mask-wearing.

"We need a clear message from the very top of our federal government that everyone needs to wear a mask in public. Period," Biden tweeted Wednesday. "It's not just about you — it's about your family, your neighbors, your colleagues. It's about keeping other people safe."