President Trump Travels To Arizona Face Mask Factory

PHOENIX, AZ — President Donald Trump toured and spoke at a Honeywell factory in Phoenix on Tuesday that has retooled to make N95 face masks during the new coronavirus crisis.

Trump used his first major trip in months to demonstrate his determination to see the country move toward normalcy.

"The people of our country should think of themselves as warriors. We have to open," he told reporters as he left Washington on Air Force One.

Arizona is under a modified stay-at-home order until May 15. However, Republican Gov. Doug Ducey allowed a collection of retail establishments to reopen voluntarily Monday. The state is beginning the reopening process despite Arizona failing to have two straight weeks of reduced coronavirus cases, which is called for in the first step of the White House's guidelines for reopening.

In Arizona, Trump acknowledged the human cost of returning to normalcy.

“I’m not saying anything is perfect, and yes, will some people be affected? Yes. Will some people be affected badly? Yes. But we have to get our country open and we have to get it open soon," he said.

Trump had said he would be willing to wear a face mask if the factory was “a mask environment,” but in the end he wore only safety goggles during a tour of the facility. Nearly all Honeywell workers and members of the press as well as some White House staff and Secret Service agents wore masks, but senior White House staff accompanying Trump did not.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that all Americans wear masks or cloth face coverings when they can’t socially distance, such as in supermarkets and pharmacies, especially in places with high community transmission. The CDC has been clear the face coverings aren't a substitution for social distancing.

Trump was originally scheduled to spend less than two and a half hours on the ground in Phoenix, touring the Honeywell factory and holding a roundtable on Native American issues. But aides said the trip would be worth the nearly eight hours of flight time as a symbolic show that the nation is taking steps back to normalcy. The trip was also expected to be a marker of Trump’s return to a regular travel schedule, as he hopes the nation, too, will begin to emerge from seven weeks of virus-imposed isolation.

After weeks cooped up in Washington, with little exposure to how the virus has been affecting Americans’ day-to-day lives, Trump got a first-hand view of one big impact. At the airport, Air Force One parked next to dozens of grounded commercial airliners with covered engines and taped-over probes and vents.

Trump began the visit with a meeting with native American leaders during which he distributed 1,000 quick Abbott virus tests.

“Native Americans have been hit hard by the terrible pandemic,” Trump said. “Hopefully, that will be helpful to you.”

Trump sees economic revival as a political imperative, as his allies have noted an erosion in support for the president in recent weeks. Republicans believe Trump’s path to a second term depends on the public’s perception of how quickly the economy rebounds from shutdowns meant to slow the spread of the virus.

That includes in Arizona, a key swing state, which Trump carried by less than four points in 2016.
“I love Arizona. I have a lot of friends in Arizona. I’ve had great success over the years in Arizona," Trump boasted as he left.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.