Jill Biden: ‘Irresponsible’ for people to attend Trump rallies without masks

Jill Biden, the wife of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, spoke out against Trump supporters who choose not to wear masks in public in an interview with “The View” on Wednesday.

“It’s totally irresponsible that people are going to these [Trump] rallies and they’re not wearing masks, they’re not social distancing,” Biden said. “It’s irresponsible and people will die because of this.”

President Trump has continued to hold large, in-person campaign events in defiance of health recommendations, while the former vice president has taken his campaign mostly online.

“This is not a political issue. This is a public health issue,” Biden told co-hosts Joy Behar and Sunny Hostin, saying that she takes her calls from the experts.

“You heard the doctors and the scientists, that’s who we’re following, and they’re saying wear your mask and socially distance.”

.@DrBiden tells us the Trump administration is responsible for making the pandemic “political”: “We need to listen to the doctors and the scientists.”

“It’s totally irresponsible that people are going to [Trump] rallies and they’re not wearing masks.” https://t.co/f8u2wbJuik pic.twitter.com/0lMYZFfir7

— The View (@TheView) October 21, 2020

“If you’re not going to wear your mask for yourself, wear it for your neighbor who’s undergoing chemo therapy and her immune system is down. Wear it for the little boy down the street who has asthma and he could get sick or his grandma could get sick. Do it for someone else if you’re not going to do it for yourself,” Biden said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidelines on Monday calling for all passengers taking public transportation to wear masks to prevent the spread of coronavirus. For months, it has advised against large gatherings.

The coronavirus has killed more than 221,000 Americans and infected more than 8.2 million in the country.