AG Nessel warns Trump he has 'a legal responsibility' to wear mask during Thursday's visit to Ypsilanti

Attorney General Dana Nessel is urging President Trump to wear a mask while visiting a Ford ventilator assembly plant in Ypsilanti on Thursday, saying he has "a legal responsibility” under state law to cover his face.


Trump, who has been in contact with people who have been infected with COVID-19, has been observed not wearing a mask during tours in other states, at time flouting health orders.

In an open letter to the president on Wednesday, Nessel pointed out that all nonessential visits to manufacturing facilities have been suspended under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-at-home order.

“While my department will not act to prevent you from touring Ford’s plant, I ask that while you are on tour you respect the great efforts of the men and women at Ford – and across this State – by wearing a facial covering,” Nessel wrote. “It is not just the policy of Ford, by virtue of the Governor’s Executive Orders. It is currently the law of this State.”

The coronavirus has killed more than 5,000 Michigan residents. More than 53,000 have tested positive for the virus.

“Anyone who has potentially been recently exposed, including the President of the United States, has not only a legal responsibility, but also a social and moral responsibility, to take reasonable precautions to prevent further spread of the virus,” Nessel wrote.

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