President Biden should have worn a mask during his opening night visit to the Lincoln Memorial, when he chose not to wear the mask a few hours after signing an executive order demanding masks on federal properties, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Friday.
“Yes, I think President Biden should wear a mask within the rules,” said Cuomo when asked by the Post.
Speaking during a virtual press conference in Albany, Cuomo noted: “I’m not wearing a mask right now. You don’t always wear a mask if you can distance yourself socially, etc., [have] partitions, etc. “
“But I think everyone should set a good example, in all areas.”
During Wednesday’s inaugural celebration, C-SPAN showed the new commander-in-chief standing – unmasked – in front of the iconic statue of President Abraham Lincoln in Washington, DC.
The incident occurred after Biden publicly signed an executive order for a “100 Day Masking Challenge” that requires masks and physical distance in all federal buildings, on all federal lands and by federal and contracted employees during the first 100 days of its administration.
On Thursday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki dismissed a question about Biden’s move, saying he was “celebrating a night on a historic day” and has “bigger issues to worry about”.
Cuomo said on Friday that he “missed” the broadcast and did not know that Biden had not worn a mask there, but added: “I think President Biden, throughout his campaign, during all public appearances, was a phenomenal example of wearing a mask. ”
“In all the public appearances I see, he reaches the microphone and has a mask. He takes off his mask. In public, he has the mask, ”said Cuomo.
“I don’t know about the Lincoln Memorial, but this is a dramatic contrast to [former] President Trump, who was just the opposite. “