Timeline: Donald Trump on the covid crisis

Brut America

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.

Transcript

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.

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