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TOPLINE
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said Thursday that if he’s elected president in November, he would use federal power to make it required for Americans to wear masks in public places to prevent the crippling spread of the coronavirus, which has peaked in recent days.
LANCASTER, PA – JUNE 25: Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden puts on a … [+]
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KEY FACTS
The United States on Thursday reported more than 40,000 new confirmed cases of Covid-19, a record high total for the second straight day, with the virus overwhelming hospitals in some parts of the country.
Nonetheless, mask-wearing remains a divisive, partisan political issue in some states, even as new cases continue to rise.
President Trump has downplayed the importance of face coverings, has not been seen in public wearing a mask, and has dismissed suggestions he should wear one.
When asked if he would use “federal leverage” to mandate mask-wearing, Biden responded, “Yes, I would from an executive standpoint, yes I would… I would do everything possible to make it required the people had to wear masks in public.”
Key Background:
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal last week, President Trump suggested that some Americans wear masks to signal their disapproval of him, not to prevent the spread of the virus. In the same interview, the president also suggested that face coverings could actually be counterproductive. “They put their finger on the mask, and they take them off, and then they start touching their eyes and touching their nose and their mouth,” Trump said. “And then they don’t know how they caught it?” Former Vice President Biden has been critical of the Trump administration’s handling of the pandemic for months. “The president is bizarre,” Biden said in a separate interview with NBC’s affiliate in Lancaster. “President Trump thinks that if he just ignores Covid-19 it will go away,” Biden said in a statement Thursday. “It’s the exact same tactic Trump has tried since I, and others, raised the alarm about the coronavirus in January.” Yet, if Biden chose to use federal power to mandate wearing masks, he would almost certainly receive significant pushback from certain states.
Critical Quote:
“Everyone should just wear a damn mask,” said Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida on Wednesday.
Tangent:
More than 150 protesters gathered outside city hall in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Wednesday to protest recent mask mandates from the city and Maricopa County. When first introduced at the rally, Councilman Guy Phillips twice shouted, “I can’t breathe” (words uttered by George Floyd and Eric Garner as they died while being forcibly detained by police), before ripping off his mask.
Further Reading:
‘I Can’t Breathe’ Shouts Arizona Councilman Before Removing Mask At ‘Anti-Mask’ Rally (Forbes)
Biden says he would use federal power to require Americans to wear masks in public (Fox News)
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