Why Doesn't Trump Wear A Mask? President Appears To Mock Joe Biden For Wearing Protective Face Mask In Public

President Trump appeared to belittle presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for a wearing a protective face mask in public. On Monday, Trump retweeted Fox News correspondent Brit Hume, who posted a photo of Biden wearing a face mask to a Memorial Day event and took a subtle jab at his opponent's appearance.

Biden, alongside wife Jill, made his first public appearance in weeks to attend the event and place a wreath of flower at a veterans’ memorial near his Wilmington home. The candidate has quarantined at home since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the U.S.

Trump denied that the retweet was meant to mock Biden during a Rose Garden press conference on Tuesday.

“Biden can wear a mask. But he was standing outside with his wife, perfect conditions, perfect weather,” Trump said.

“They're inside, they don't wear masks. And I thought it was very unusual he had one on. But I thought that was fine," he added.

"I wasn't criticizing him at all, why would I do a thing like that?”

Face masks like the one Biden wore are recommended by the CDC to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus and many states currently require them for citizens leaving their homes.

Trump, meanwhile, has notoriously refused to wear a protective face mask during public appearances. Not only has he made his distaste for the masks clear, a debate has raged within his administration about whether or not to recommend them to the public.

“I don't think I'm going to be doing it,” Trump said in early April about the prospect of wearing a mask. “Wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens — I just don't see it.”

Only one photo has surfaced of Trump wearing a mask, taken during a visit to a Ford plant.

“Presidents lead by example, and wearing a mask helps protect others,” Biden spokesman TJ Ducklo said to the Washington Post. “Donald Trump should try it, because his failure to act early on producing [personal protective equipment], on ramping up testing, and implementing a coherent national response to this crisis has cost thousands of Americans their lives.”