Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden appeared to walk back his pledge to institute a nationwide mask mandate to fight the coronavirus on Sunday, noting that such federal action goes against the U.S. Constitution.
"Well, I hope you could trust the governors," Biden said when asked about the issue Sunday on AZFamily’s "Politics Unplugged."
But, he added, "There's a constitutional issue whether federal government could issue such a mandate. I don’t think constitutionally they could, so I wouldn’t issue a mandate."
Still, he said, the federal government should issued national guidelines for the state and local governements to follow, and that he would "plead with" people to wear masks to protect their neighbors from the virus.
"I'd set an example," he said.
Biden has worn a mask on the campaign trail, and has been critical of President Donald Trump's administration's response. Trump himself has been reluctant to wear a mask, especially in public appearances.
"It's about making sure the public is safe and secure, and that is a local decision but there should be national standards laid out as to how it should be gone about. You can’t mandate that," Biden said.
Biden previously has said he'd implement a three-month nationwide mask mandate if he is elected president in November.
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