On Monday, not long after he announced that he would be restarting the daily Coronavirus Task Force meetings, Donald Trump finally got around to suggesting that it’s a good idea for Americans to wear a protective mask as a way of helping control spread of the deadly disease:
We are United in our effort to defeat the Invisible China Virus, and many people say that it is Patriotic to wear a face mask when you can’t socially distance. There is nobody more Patriotic than me, your favorite President! pic.twitter.com/iQOd1whktN
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 20, 2020
Granted, this came after the deaths of 140,00 Americans and an explosion of COVID-19 cases in at least 39 states, including Trump’s future home state, Florida, which is virtually overwhelmed with cases.
But still, progress is progress, and it’s good that Trump finally did something semi-responsible and we have to give him props for that, even if we aren’t exactly thrilled with the idea that he’s going to be droning on about how great he is and how we need to inject bleach to combat the virus.
However, not everyone was happy with what the president had to say about masks, and the MAGA faithful were enraged that the Donald had suddenly become a mask convert. They pelted him with scorn on his favorite social media platform:
QAnon followers are unhappy over the Trump mask tweet. pic.twitter.com/VG9vqjCX8U
— Travis View (@travis_view) July 20, 2020
Mr. President, I have supported you for a long time and continue to do so. Do you truly understand that masks don’t work? This to me goes right into the hands of the Deep State plan.
— CJTRUTH⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@cjtruth) July 20, 2020
You are my favorite President. But PLEASE Sir…Don’t feed the mask propaganda! It’s not patriotism…it’s oppression. They are using them to control us and silence our voices. PLEASE, encourage the UNmasking of the American people.
— JenPuz (@Jenpuz2) July 20, 2020
Even a GOP Senate candidate in Oregon berated Trump:
it is not Patriotic President Trump…. it is a lie and you know it is a lie and a there are no facts at all to prove the masks are effective. I am hopeful there is a reason for your comment. Hoping it is a snide remark. #FakeNewsCovid19
— Jo Rae Perkins (@PerkinsForUSSen) July 21, 2020
Could Trump lose his core supporters over a mask? Considering how intellectually-challenged much of his so-called “base” is, expect the unexpected and the stupid to be in abundance.