On Memorial Day, former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden made his first public appearance in two months since the onset of coronavirus (COVID-19).
In this first appearance, he placed a wreath at Veterans Memorial Park in Delaware while, uncontroversially, wearing a mask.
Joe Biden makes his first public appearance in two months to lay a wreath at Veterans Memorial Park in Delaware on… https://t.co/n3Fh8ab8bj— News 4 Buffalo (@News 4 Buffalo) 1590437706.0
While Biden is obviously taking coronavirus seriously it is in stark contrast to President Donald Trump, who actively avoids a mask in public appearances that one would think a mask would be incredibly important.
Late last week, Trump visited a Ford plant Ypsilanti, MI, which has a policy requiring masks, during his tour of the plant he wore a mask with the presidential seal on it, but during the public part of the tour, he did not wear one.
Trump has may particular reasons for not wearing a mask, but it doesn't change the fact that it sets a really bad precedent for the country he's leading, where nearly 100,000 people have already died with COVID-19.
His flat-out dismissal of masks in situations goes along with his COVID-19 legacy of doing too little for the American people — in this case, putting people in danger if he's asymptomatic and also possibly compelling people that trust him to follow his lead.
In the wake of the lake of the Ozarks party and other situations like it, what Americans need is a leader who will actually act in accordance with what will most help the current situation.
And while Biden is not the president of the country, as the leading candidate looking to face off with Trump in the elections later this year, him wearing a mask is a direct statement that he is more a more competent and compassionate leader than Trump.