President Trump wears face mask in public for the first time during pandemic

President Trump on Saturday openly wore a face mask for the first time during the coronavirus pandemic.

The president sported the mask during a visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where he went to meet with medical workers amid the COVID-19 crisis and with wounded veterans.

The president prior to the visit indicated that he would likely use a mask.

"Well I'll probably have a mask if you must know," the Trump said. "I think when you're in a hospital, especially in that particular setting where you're talking to a lot of soldiers and people that in some cases just got off the operating tables, I think it's a great thing to wear a mask. I've never been against masks, but I do believe they have a time and a place," he said. 

Trump previously said that he wore a mask during a private portion of a visit at a Ford plant in May, but he noted that he did not want the media to see him wearing it. "I wore one in this back area, but I didn't want to give the press the pleasure of seeing it," he said.

There have been more than 3.26 million confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and more than 134,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.