Arkansas governor urges ‘consistent national message’ on wearing masks

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) on Friday said there needs to be a “consistent national message” from President Trump on wearing face masks during the coronavirus pandemic.

MSNBC’s Chuck Todd asked the governor on his show if it would be easier to encourage constituents in Arkansas to wear face coverings if the president also actively promoted them. 

“A consistent national message supporting the importance of wearing a mask and social distancing is very important to making sure everybody understands the importance of it,” Hutchinson said. “Nothing beats leadership. Certainly it’s important to convey the importance of that.”

Hutchinson added that the president is right in wanting to reopen the national economy but added, “You also have to have the message of taking the right health care precautions.”

Vice President Pence was asked on Friday about the politicization of mask-wearing during the White House coronavirus task force’s first briefing in nearly two months.

Pence, who did not wear a mask at the briefing, said people should follow the advice of their local health officials.

He listed ways Americans can protect themselves and others against the coronavirus — hand-washing, avoiding touching the face, disinfecting frequently — but pointedly did not refer to the two main protocols recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which are wearing a face mask and practicing social distancing.

Pence also defended the Trump campaign’s decision to hold large events amid the pandemic, despite the federal government’s own guidelines against holding large indoor gatherings.

“The freedom of speech, the right to peaceably assemble is enshrined in the Constitution in the United States, and we have an election coming up this fall,” Pence said.

—@PaulaReidCBS to Pence: “It really does sound like you’re saying, ‘Do as we say, not as we do.’ You’re telling people to listen to local officials, but in Tulsa you defied local health officials…How can you say that the campaign is not part of the problem?” pic.twitter.com/96dkjow28L

— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) June 26, 2020

Wearing a mask has become a political issue in recent months, despite the insistence of the Trump administration’s top health officials. Several federal health officials, including coronavirus task force members Deborah Birx and Anthony Fauci, wore masks except when speaking at the briefing Friday.

Multiple Democratic governors have issued mandates at the state level for wearing masks, though Trump himself has refused to wear a face covering in public, sparking bipartisan criticism. 

Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyo.), the No. 3 Republican in the House, urged people to wear a mask on Friday by tweeting a picture of her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, wearing one.

She added the hashtag “#realmenwearmasks.”

Dick Cheney says WEAR A MASK. #realmenwearmasks pic.twitter.com/iBfVoa7ypL

— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) June 26, 2020

Arkansas has reported 18,740 cases of the coronavirus and currently has 284 people hospitalized due to COVID-19, according to figures released Friday by the state health department. Nearly 250 people have died from the coronavirus in the state.