Donald Trump Mocks Joe Biden for ‘Plastic Surgery’ and Wearing a Mask

During his rally in Moon Township, Pennsylvania Tuesday night, President Donald Trump took aim at Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Speaking to his crowd of supporters, Trump mocked Biden for wearing a face mask amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has now killed more than 200,000 people in America, and alleged the former vice president underwent plastic surgery on his face.

“He feels good about the mask, and that’s OK. Whatever makes you feel good,” Trump told the crowd of his political rival. He went on to ask, “honestly, why the hell did he spend all that money on the plastic surgery if he’s going to cover it up with a mask?” Trump continued, asking the crowd, “the question is will he leave it on during the debate,” referencing the upcoming Sept. 29 debate between him and Biden, which will mark their first.

According to the New York Post, rumors have floated for years that Biden has gone under the knife. The rumors largely stemmed from those believing that Biden’s appearance seemed to change during the 2008 campaign, others also taking notice of an alleged change as he launched his bid to become the Democratic presidential nominee last year. These claims, however, have not been confirmed, with Biden quipping in response to one report in 1987 that “I’ve got to keep some mystery in my life,” The Sun reports.

Trump’s attacks on Biden’s decision to wear a mask, however, have been ongoing since the start of the pandemic. At a rally near Pittsburgh earlier this month, Trump said that he had “never seen a man that liked a mask.” Although the president said that he is “all for it… wear your mask when you close together in particular and wash your hands and all those things,” he suggested that doing so is unmanly, asking, “but did you ever see a man that likes a mask as much as him?”

The president himself, meanwhile, has rarely been seen in a mask, something that has drawn criticism from some. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all people wear cloth face coverings when in public and in places where “social distancing measures are difficult to maintain,” such as grocery stores and pharmacies. The coverings, the CDC says, help “to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others.”

The president’s most recent criticisms of Biden come as the two prepare to face off on the debate stage. The 90-minute, commercial-free debate is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, Sept. 29 in Cleveland, with Fox News anchor Chris Wallace moderating. A second debate will be held in Miami on Thursday, Oct. 15, with a final debate taking place in Nashville on Thursday, Oct. 22.