The Mayor of Atlanta has said Donald Trump broke the law by refusing to wear a face mask during a recent visit to the city. Keisha Lance Bottoms said she wasn’t surprised by the President’s actions.
Bottoms told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that Trump clearly broke the city’s law by not having a mask on. Mask wearing is a key public health measure amid the ongoing pandemic.
“So by not having on a mask, President Trump did violate law in the city of Atlanta, but I am somehow not surprised that he disregarded our rules and regulations in the city,” she said.
“But it was encouraging to see that others did have some regard for what we’re doing and tried to accomplish in Atlanta and that’s to slow the spread of Covid-19.”
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The White House didn’t directly deny that Trump had broken a law but said he’d followed CDC guidelines.
“The President takes the health and safety of everyone traveling in support of himself and all White House operations very seriously,” Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere said.
“When preparing for and carrying out any travel, White House Operations collaborates with the Physician to the President and the White House Military Office, to ensure plans incorporate current CDC guidance and best practices for limiting COVID-19 exposure to the greatest extent possible.”
The President has been reluctant to wear a mask in public. He’s only recently starting do so as cases of Coronavirus have grown in large parts of the nation. Many of his supporters aren’t yet convinced of the effectiveness of masks.
Mayor Bottoms is considered a strong candidate for the Democratic vice presidential nomination.
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Darragh Roche is a journalist covering U.S. politics and media
