Donald Trump Ripped For Tweet Touting Face Masks As ‘Patriotic’

President Donald Trump tweeted a photo of himself wearing a mask on Monday to encourage people to wear face coverings in an effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. However, social media users weren’t impressed with the president’s message. He was instantly inundated with critical responses claiming that his about-face was too late and mocking the tweet in which he calls himself “your favorite President.”

“We are United in our effort to defeat the Invisible China Virus, and many people say that it is Patriotic to wear a face mask when you can’t socially distance. There is nobody more Patriotic than me, your favorite President!” he wrote.

The post was accompanied by a black-and-white photo of Trump wearing a face mask.

Roughly six months after the virus was identified in the U.S., this is the first time Trump has tweeted in apparent support of the measure. The president has repeatedly faced criticism for both failing to wear a mask when in close proximity to other people, and for being reluctant to encourage other Americans to wear face coverings.

On Monday, Trump’s own Attorney General, Jerome Adams, appeared on Fox News and encouraged people to wear masks, advising them that the guidance wasn’t an attempt to take away their freedoms but to save lives.

The president has previously said that he believes the idea of wearing a face mask should be left up to the individual and has questioned whether or not masks can be helpful in slowing the spread of the pandemic that continues to rage across many parts of the country.

Critics were quick to respond to the president’s about-face. American Bridge 21st Century, a progressive PAC, posted a video from the day prior that showed Trump speaking to Chris Wallace of Fox News downplaying the value of wearing a mask.

“BREAKING: Man Buys Fire Extinguisher After Entire Neighborhood Burns Down,” posted pundit Brian Tyler Cohen.

Others commented on how long it took the president to come to the place where he was promoting the idea of wearing facial coverings, with some posting charts showing the death toll in the United States and the number of positive COVID-19 cases in the country versus other similar countries.

Some people took issue with Trump’s use of the term “China Virus,” which critics say is xenophobic.

“Fine. I’ll tell people it’s patriotic to wear a mask. But only if I can throw in racism,” wrote pundit Melissa Ryan.