Joe Biden Launches Swing State Ad Calling for Nationwide Mask Mandate ‘Starting Immediately’

The Biden campaign is deploying coronavirus-focused ads — one of which calls for a nationwide mask mandate “starting immediately” — across several crucial swing states as the general election draws nearer.

One of the ads, titled “Ready to Lead,” calls for a national mask mandate “starting immediately” and will run across six key battleground states —  Florida, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.

“Joe Biden knows we need to listen to medical experts and take action now,” the voiceover states. “That starts by expanding testing, calling for mask mandates nationwide starting immediately, and producing more protective gear here at home”:

Another ad, aimed at seniors, features Biden vowing to gather the “best medical experts and scientists to advise on our response.”

“And I will not abandon you,” Biden says in the ad, which shows him interacting with seniors:

On Thursday, the former vice president formally called for a nationwide mask mandate, stating that Americans should wear masks outdoors for at least three months

“Every single American should be wearing a mask when they are outside for the next three months at a minimum,” Biden said during a virtual briefing.

Notably, a recent Gallup poll indicated that a majority of Americans are not currently wearing face coverings outdoors.

As Breitbart News reported:

Only 47 percent said they “always” or “usually” wear a mask in outdoor settings when they cannot socially distance, compared to 86 percent who indicated that they wear masks in indoor settings in the same scenario.

Women are more likely than men to wear masks in an outdoor setting, the survey found, 54 percent to 39 percent. Democrats are also more likely to wear face coverings in an outdoor setting, with a majority, 64 percent, indicating that they “always” or “usually” do so. Only 43 percent of independents said the same, followed by 23 percent of Republicans.

Trump, in turn, criticized Biden’s unilateral approach, urging him to “stop playing politics with the virus.”

“Sleepy Joe rejects the scientific approach in favor of locking all Americans in their basements for months on end,” Trump said.

“If the president has the unilateral power to order every single citizen to cover their face in nearly all instances, what other powers does he have?” Trump continued, wondering how such an order would be enforced.

“He does not identify what authority or how federal law enforcement could enforce it,” the president said, defending federalism. “Why we would step on governors of our country?”