(WWJ) Medical experts say masks are a necessity in a pandemic, with no room for politics to get in the way of safety.
But still, wearing a mask in public seems to have political overtones.
Case in point: Ohio’s lieutenant governor Jon Husted was heavily booed when he tried to tell people to wear a Trump-themed mask at a large public rally this week.
The crowd was so loud he had to stop and start several times before he gave up and with a laugh said, “All right, I get it!”
Notably, the lt. governor is a Republican and he was urging people to wear Trump masks.
“If somebody tells you to take it off, you can at least say you’re trying to save the country by wearing one of President Donald Trump’s masks.”
After he was booed down, Husted pivoted into a campaign speech.
A video of the moment got thousands of retweets and comments from both sides of the aisle.
“At least he’s trying to be a leader and do the right thing. Too bad Trump and company have made this so political that even someone of their own party trying to do the right thing is booed down,” one Twitter user wrote.
Tom O’Neil added: “It would appear all those boxes behind him were bursting at the seams with Donnie Masks they were hoping to sell. First rule of marketing is to make sure you have demand before you bring in the supply.”
Ohio is one of the key swing states in the Midwest, including Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, which has seen — and will continue to see — a bevy of national politicians in the weeks and months leading up the election. As for coronavirus, Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine was one of the first to institute a lockdown. As a result, the positive test rate in the state is down to 3% after reaching a high of 36% in April.
DeWine was also booed at the rally, which was attended by Trump himself. When the president mentioned DeWine and he was also booed, Trump responded with “he’s a good man.”
*story by radio.com