Donald Trump just tested positive for coronavirus.
Here's a look back at his ambivalent relationship with masks and social distancing since the start of the pandemic.
Here's a look back at his ambivalent relationship with masks and social distancing since the start of the pandemic.
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00:00I wear masks when needed, when needed, I wear masks.
00:03Okay, let me ask.
00:03I don't have, I don't wear masks like him.
00:05Every time you see him, he's got a mask.
00:07He could be speaking 200 feet away from it.
00:09He shows up with the biggest mask I've ever seen.
00:18Mr. President, you're taking a lot of hands today,
00:20taking a lot of close pictures.
00:21Are you protecting yourself at all?
00:23Not at all, not at all.
00:25Not at all, you know, I'm a person that
00:27is never big on the handshaking deal.
00:30Throughout my life, they used to criticize me for it,
00:32or laugh about it, or have fun with it.
00:35But if you're a politician, like I walk in and the doctors
00:39have their hands up.
00:40Oh, sir, if you don't shake hands,
00:43they're not going to like you too much.
00:44And I guess that's my business.
00:49Great job.
00:50Thank you very much.
00:53Thanks.
00:57I want to know if you are in contact
00:59with the Brazilian President Bolsonaro
01:01after a member of his delegation who was with you
01:04Saturday was tested positive.
01:07Are you planning to take any kind of precautionary measure
01:12to protect you and also your staff who was there with him?
01:16No, we have no symptoms whatsoever.
01:19And we had a great meeting with the president of Brazil,
01:24Bolsonaro, great guy.
01:26We were sitting next to each other
01:27for a long period of time.
01:28Are you being selfish by not getting tested
01:30and potentially exposing?
01:31Well, I didn't say I wasn't going to be tested.
01:33Are you going to be?
01:34Most likely, yeah.
01:39Sir, how have you changed your old behavior
01:42to take account of this virus?
01:44Are you washing your hands more?
01:46I've always washed my hands a lot.
01:48I wash my hands a lot.
01:49Probably maybe if anything more, certainly not less.
01:52What was it like taking the test?
01:54It's not something I want to do every day,
01:58I can tell you that.
02:02It's a little bit of good doctors in the White House,
02:05but it's a test.
02:06It's a test.
02:07It's a medical test.
02:08Nothing pleasant about it.
02:13I have to say, I think with social distancing
02:17that the media has been much nicer.
02:19I don't know what it is, all these empty,
02:21these in-between chairs.
02:24What would people gain from wearing a mask
02:29and why are you opposed to wearing one yourself?
02:34Well, I just don't want to wear one myself.
02:36It's a recommendation.
02:37They recommend it.
02:40I'm feeling good.
02:41I just don't want to be doing, I don't know,
02:43somehow sitting in the Oval Office
02:46behind that beautiful Resolute desk,
02:48the great Resolute desk.
02:50I think wearing a face mask as I greet presidents,
02:55prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens,
02:58I don't know.
03:03I salute the American people for following our guidelines
03:06on social distancing.
03:08Even you people, it's so different looking out there
03:11when I look at you.
03:16Well, thank you very much, everyone.
03:18This is a great honor.
03:20And I see you have social distance on your mind
03:23and that's a very good thing.
03:29Say a few words, please.
03:30Come on.
03:31There's a mic right over here.
03:34I can't believe I have to socially distance myself
03:37from these two people.
03:40They're probably the ones that want it from me.
03:42Please say a few words.
03:44Yesterday, we went to Arizona
03:46and you had said before the trip
03:47that you would likely wear a mask at the mask factory.
03:50You ended up not wearing one.
03:51Well, I actually did have one.
03:52I can't help it if you didn't see me.
03:54I mean, I had a mask on, but I didn't need it.
03:56And I asked specifically the head of Honeywell,
03:59should I wear a mask?
04:00And he said, well, you don't need one in this territory.
04:02And as you know, we were far away from people,
04:06from the people making the masks.
04:08How long did you have it on for?
04:10Not too long, but I had it on.
04:12I had it on back, backstage.
04:14Who saw the workers wearing it?
04:16The workers had them on.
04:17Yeah, the workers were there.
04:18Yeah, because they're working next to each other.
04:24Mr. President, you were with seven American heroes
04:26earlier today, these World War II veterans.
04:28I was.
04:29All in their 90s.
04:30Did you consider wearing a mask
04:33when you were with them, given their time?
04:34No, because I was very far away.
04:35I appreciate the question.
04:37I was very far away from them, as you know.
04:41I would have loved to have gone up and hugged them
04:44because they're great.
04:45I had a conversation with everyone,
04:46but we were very far away.
04:50Plus, the wind was blowing so hard in such a direction
04:53that if the plague ever reached them,
04:55I'd be very surprised.
04:56It could have reached me, too.
04:58You didn't worry about me.
04:58You only worried about them.
05:03Why haven't you required everyone at the White House
05:06to wear masks before now?
05:08Well, if they're a certain distance from me
05:10or if they're a certain distance from each other, they do.
05:13In the case of me, I'm not close to anybody.
05:17We've had just about everybody I've seen today
05:19has worn a mask.
05:21Yeah.
05:22Were you the one who required that, sir?
05:24Yeah, I did.
05:25I did.
05:25I required it.
05:30You've got to open it up.
05:31And you do social distancing,
05:33and you wear masks if you want,
05:35and you do things.
05:36You can do a lot of things.
05:37You're getting closer together.
05:39Even you, I notice you're starting to get
05:40much closer together.
05:41Looks much better.
05:42I must say.
05:59We strongly advise everyone to especially,
06:03especially focus on maintaining a social distance,
06:07maintaining rigorous hygiene,
06:10avoid large gatherings and crowded indoor bars,
06:13and wear masks when appropriate.
06:21Thank you for being here.
06:23It's a good crowd.
06:28Christina, come here.
06:31Come up here, John.
06:32Just come up here.
06:33Bob, come up here.
06:35Come on over here.
06:36Because I don't know if they hear me
06:38with these crazy speakers, but whatever.
06:41Just social distance, Christina.
06:43Right there, Christina.
06:49Let's just try and get through this one weekend,
06:52and I think we have a chance of doing that.
06:54Just social distance, wash your hands,
06:57all of the hygiene things that we speak about.
06:59And we're really rounding the turn.