It was Memorial Day when then-candidate Joe Biden made his first public appearance since the coronavirus shut down in-person campaigning. Before he went out to place a wreath at a veterans memorial in Delaware, Biden and his team decided he would wear a mask. It wasn’t a difficult decision, an aide said when asked about the choice.
“Wearing one of these masks when you’re outside is not a partisan issue,” Biden said a couple of days later during a livestreamed event. “It is a matter of protecting other people.” New guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also indicates it protects the wearer of the mask as well.
The same week as Biden’s remarks, President Trump retweeted someone mocking the Democrat for wearing a mask and teased a reporter for wearing one at a press conference, asking him to take it off to hear him, and when he didn’t, saying it was “because you want to be politically correct.”
Read this story now for free
To continue reading, sign up for our newsletter and get unlimited access to WABE.org
You can select your preferences for news and local content. We will never share your email address. Learn how your newsletter sign-up will support WABE and Public Media
