Sitting down for his first face-to-face interview since the coronavirus pandemic arrived in the United States, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said Tuesday that President Donald Trump is a “fool” for making fun of those who wear a protective mask.

Speaking with CNN’s Dana Bash, Biden was asked what he thought of Trump’s comments those who wear masks are merely trying to be “politically correct.” The former vice president replied:

“He’s a fool, an absolute fool, to talk that way. 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 going to get closer than 12 feet to somebody. I know we’re 12 feet apart, I get that. But this macho stuff, for a guy — uh, I shouldn’t get goin’. It’s cost people’s lives. It’s costing people’s lives.”

Noting that nearly 100.000 Americans are already dead as a result of COVID-19, Biden added:

“Like I said, we’re almost 100,000 dead today. 100,000 people. Columbia’s study showing that we could’ve, if we just started a week earlier, it would’ve saved thousands of lives. I mean this is a strategy. … It’s stoking deaths. That’s not going to increase the likelihood that people are going to be better off. … 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.”

Bash then asked Biden if he thought wearing a mask projects strength or weakness. To that, Biden commented:

“Leadership.”

Trump’s own Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all Americans wear a face covering when out in public, and yet the president is now tying to suggest that wearing one is somehow suggestive that a person is afraid or merely trying to be fashionable at a time when a deadly virus is stalking the land.

Donald Trump is not just a fool. He’s also a threat to the life of every person in this country.

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