Look. I don’t like Donald Trump. There’s evidence of that all over this very website. But I’m not going to razz him for finally putting on a damn mask.
Yes, the 45th president of the United States made his first public appearance in a protective mask on Saturday. It happened during a visit to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland. I’m not sure if there was any fanfare around it or he just showed up. But there’s a photo.
Image: ALEX EDELMAN/AFP via Getty Images
I’m not here to suggest I’m now on board with the president. You can’t erase his four years worth of lies to the American people, intentional stoking of racial tensions, and generally criminal behavior. You also can’t undo the more than 130,000 (and counting) who died from COVID-19 in the weeks and months before the president saw (let’s be real, political) sense in putting on a mask.
But he did it. And he shouldn’t be mocked for it. Maybe his anti-mask supporters will see these images and get smart themselves. A vaccine may be the only way this terrible pandemic ends, but as experts have said again and again, some semblance of the old normal is possible if we all do our part to help society.
That starts with maintaining social distancing and putting on a mask when you leave the house. Inside, outside, doesn’t matter. If people are nearby who aren’t in your quarantine bubble, make sure your nose and mouth are covered.
Good job, Donald Trump.