President Donald Trump pushed back against the idea of instituting a national mask mandate, during a preview of an interview on Fox News with Chris Wallace.
Wallace asked the president whether he would consider requiring Americans to wear face coverings.
“The CDC says that if everybody wore a mask for 4 to 6 weeks, we could get it under control. Do you regret not wearing a mask in public from the start and would you consider — will you consider a national mandate that people need to wear masks?”
In the interview, the entirely of which will air on Sunday, Trump quickly responded.
“No, I want people to have a certain freedom,” Trump said, “and I don’t believe in that, no. And I don’t agree with the statement that if everybody wore a mask, everything disappears.”
Trump mentioned past comments from Dr. Anthony Fauci and Surgeon General Jerome Adams saying people shouldn't wear masks. They have both reversed course and recommended people to wear masks.
“As you know, masks cause problems too,” Trump said. “With that being said,” Trump added, “I’m a believer in masks. I think masks are good.”
Indeed, after deigning to skip masks at multiple public appearances in recent months, he relented and finally donned one for a visit with injured soldiers at Walter Reed hospital last weekend.
Trump also talked about the increase of violence in New York and Chicago. The president said they’re “Democrat-run cities” that are “stupidly run.”
He continued, “Liberal Democrats have been running cities in this country for decades,” Wallace said. “Why is it so bad right now?”
Trump said calls to defund the police have “gotten totally out of control." The president then said Joe Biden also wanted to defund the police.
Wallace responded, “Sir, he does not.”
Trump pushed back by saying, “He signed a charter with Bernie Sanders."
Then the president turned to his aide and said, “Get me the charter, please.”
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.