The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
May 22, 2020

Trump Refuses to Wear Mask in Front of Media at Ford Plant in Michigan
----------------------------------------------------------------------

President Trump toured a Ford manufacturing plant in Michigan that was
repurposed to make personal protective equipment. Trump refused to wear
a mask while speaking to the press inside the plant, in defiance of an
executive order from the state's governor and the plant's own rules.
Trump said he wore one during a tour of the Ford plant but took it off
before speaking to reporters.

President Donald Trump: "Well, I did wear - I had one on before. I wore
one in this back area. But I didn't want to give the press the pleasure
of seeing it."

Photos later emerged showing Trump wearing a mask during a tour of the
plant. Trump's visit to Michigan came at a time when the state is facing
three major crises: The COVID outbreak has killed more than 5,100 people
in Michigan; the state's unemployment rate is at an all-time high of
22.7% percent; and more than 10,000 homes were evacuated in Midland, the
home of Dow Chemical, after two dams breached earlier this week after
heavy rainfall.


.