Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump hasn’t been seen often wearing a mask despite recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On Friday, Trump visited a factory in Maine that produces medical swabs for use in COVID-19 testing but did so without wearing any facial covering. As a result, all of the swabs that were in the facility at the time of his visit have since been tossed aside.
A spokesperson for Puritan Medical Products, which is located in Guilford, told USA Today that all of the swabs would need to be “thrown out” after the president’s visit, but did not mention any specific reason for the decision. In the message, the spokesperson said the production for that day was “limited” anyhow despite a growing demand for swabs as testing needs across both Maine and the entire country are on the rise. This was yet another factory visit for Trump, a fairly common occurrence for him over the past few months. He previously stopped by a facility that was producing masks.
Videos by PopCulture.com
With the factory as his backdrop, Trump said, “We’re doing a great job with the testing.” He told Puritan that they’re doing “a fantastic job in getting out the swabs,” before issuing a thank you on behalf of the entire country. As of Sunday, the country’s total positive cases for the coronavirus is nearing two million infected.
After Friday, Trump found himself in some debates over the weekend. He interjected himself in the Drew Brees controversy that broke out after Brees’ take on the protests and how he feels about players in the NFL taking a knee during the national anthem. Trump sided with Brees and his belief that no one should protest in spite of the flag, but was later objected by Brees himself when he said after talks with his teammates, he sees where the root of the problem comes from.
Just prior to that, he was on the wrong end of criticism after making remarks about George Floyd during one of his press conferences. Speaking in regards to the economy and how employment has been on the rise, Trump said that he hoped “George is looking down” on all the good that is coming. He added that it’s “a great day for him.” His remarks quickly drew the ire of social media, who were not appreciative of his commentary on the subject.
