While visiting Salem, MA yesterday, Governor Baker had a press conference in which he spoke out about the President's handling and diagnosis of COVID-19. Governor Baker called President Trump's actions "incredibly irresponsible" for ignoring advice from health experts. President Trump has been widely criticized for some of his actions while battling COVID-19. First he partook in a motorcade around Walter Reed Hospital over the past weekend so that he could wave and show his face to his supporters who lined the streets outside the hospital to wish him well. Then, when the President arrived back at the White House on Monday evening, he took his mask off while on the balcony as he posed for a photo op. Additionally, while at the White House, he recorded a social media video without his mask on. All of these actions took place while he was COVID positive and still battling the virus despite "feeling better". That is why Governor Baker and the others have been harsh critics of the President's actions.
Do you take aim with the President for any of the above actions that Governor Baker and other media critics are taking aim at the President for? If I'm being completely honest, and I'm someone who likes the President and is NOT a "Never Trumper", I think the motorcade and taking off the mask at the White House balcony was a bad look and in poor taste. With that being said I understand there are important optics involved and he needed to be seen well and in good health. With that being said, he could have done so from the window of his hospital or the recorded video from inside Walter Reed where he was isolated was sufficient. I think the motorcade was just a look at me and how well I'm handling this virus move, that was unnecessary and openly gave more fuel for the liberal media to light the fire with. Now, I understand President Trump doesn't care and actually loves driving the media and liberals crazy so it appears that was all part of his plan but I still think it was foolish and unnecessary. Furthermore, my honest to God first thought when I saw him on the White House balcony take his mask off was "why in the world would he do that? Doesn't he still have COVID?" I immediately knew that that was going to get blown up and people were going to lose it. Again, Trump loves to get people riled and I'm sure he wanted that photo opportunity without the mask on but honestly, I think the photo would have been way stronger and memorable if he actually had the mask on. Looking back in history at that photo with President Trump on the balcony after just coming home from the hospital would have been way more powerful and a time stamp if he kept the mask on because it immediately is symbolic of 2020 and the pandemic. You know right away what that would symbolize and that would be a photo for the history books that would require no caption, it would speak for itself. Instead we have this photo that could be from any year he was in the White House and we need a caption as to what that moment symbolized. In my opinion, it was a missed opportunity by him.
-Producer Lightning