Joe Biden called President Trump an 'absolute fool' for mocking the former Vice President's mask-wearing appearance when he wo...
Joe Biden called President Trump an 'absolute fool' for mocking the former Vice President's mask-wearing appearance when he wore a mask in public on Memorial Day.
'He's a fool. An absolute fool to talk that way,' Biden said Tuesday in his first sit-down interview since the coronavirus pandemic hit in full force.
Biden, who wore a black mask and sunglasses Monday as he paid respects at a veterans cemetery along with his wife, Jill, accused Trump of engaging in 'macho stuff' and compared him to a high schooler who posed as a tough athlete.
'This macho stuff, for a guy -- I shouldn't get going, but it just, it costs people's lives. It's costing people's lives,' Joe Biden said in an interview from his home. He pushed back at President Trump for appearing to mock his appearance when wearing a mask on Memorial Day
'This macho stuff, for a guy -- I shouldn't get going, but it just, it costs people's lives. It's costing people's lives,' Biden told CNN in a sit-down interview conducted outside his Wilmington home.
'Presidents are supposed to lead, not engage in folly and be falsely masculine,' Biden said.
'I mean, every leading doc in the world is saying we should wear a mask when you’re in a crowd, and especially when you know you’re going to be in a position where you’re going to inadvertently get closer than 12 feet to somebody. I know we’re 12 feet apart, I get that,' Biden said.
He referenced people from his school days. 'They walked around with a ball in their hand but they didn't like to hit very much,' Biden said.
Asked what wearing a mask projected, Biden responded: 'Leadership. What it presents and projects is leadership. Presidents are supposed to lead, not engage in folly and be falsely masculine. It reminds me of the guys that I grew up with playing ball. They’d walk around with a ball in their hand, but they didn’t like to hit very much.'
Trump at the White House Tuesday denied he was making fun of Biden for wearing a mask, when a masked reporter asked him about it. Trump said he couldn't hear and asked the reporter to remove it.
'You want to be politically correct,' Trump said. 'No. I just want to wear the mask,' the reporter responded.
Biden made the comments in an interview where he was 12-feet away from interviewer Dana Bash on CNN
President Trump on Tuesday denied mocking Biden for wearing a mask
Donald Trump retweeted a post mocking Joe Biden for wearing a face mask at Memorial Day commemorations while the president refused to don one at a ceremony in Virginia
People look on as President Donald Trump speaks during an event on "protecting seniors with diabetes" in the Rose Garden White House, Tuesday, May 26, 2020, in Washington
Biden made his first in-person appearance in more than two months on Monday as he marked Memorial Day by laying a wreath at a veterans park near his Delaware home
Biden and his wife, Jill, are seen arriving to place a wreath at the Delaware Memorial Bridge Veterans Memorial Park on Monday
Trump and Melania participate in a Memorial Day ceremony at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine Monday in Baltimore
Biden (left) and his wife Jill covered their faces to lay a wreath at a Delaware veterans park during his first trip out of the house in more than two months. However, at ceremonies in Virginia and Maryland, Trump (right) and First Lady Melania decided against face masks
Trump made the statement at the White House Tuesday
Trump retweeted a post on Memorial day by Fox News commentator Brit Hume that pictured Biden in a black mask.
'This might help explain why Trump doesn't like to wear a mask in public. Biden today,' Hume wrote.
'I thought that was fine. I wasn't criticizing him,' Trump said Tuesday.
Trump didn't wear a mask on a tour of a Michigan factory last week, although he did wear one when he was away from the media.
Donald Trump has retweeted a post mocking Joe Biden for wearing a face mask at Memorial Day commemorations while the president refused to don one at a ceremony in Virginia.
The president took aim at his Democrat rival Monday evening, when he retweeted the post from Fox News political analyst Brit Hume.
'This might help explain why Trump doesn't like to wear a mask in public. Biden today,' the Tweet read, alongside a close-up shot of Biden sporting a dark face mask and sunglasses at a Memorial Day event.
Biden and his wife Jill covered their faces to lay a wreath at a Delaware veterans park during his first trip out of the house in more than two months.
However, at ceremonies in Virginia and Maryland, Trump and First Lady Melania decided against face masks.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Tuesday called it 'peculiar' that Biden wore a mask in public but not in his home. CDC guidelines do not call for wearing a mask when engaging in social distancing in your own household.
'It is a bit peculiar, though, that in his basement, right next to his wife, he's not wearing a mask. But he's wearing one outdoors when he's socially distant. So I think that there was a discrepancy there,' she said.
Biden and his wife, Jill, laid a wreath of white flowers tied with a white bow, and bowed their heads in silence at the Delaware Memorial Bridge Veterans Memorial Park.
When Biden emerged on Monday after two months at home, he and Jill were both seen wearing face masks.
In contrast, Trump chose once again to be mask-less as he participated in a ceremony honoring the nation's fallen service members at Arlington Cemetery Monday before flying to Baltimore with Melania for a second service at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine.
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